





98 







RILMA MARION BROW 



I 




Class E4i_ 

CopigktN? 

COFjKIGHT DEPOSIT: 




From a painting by Frank Holland 
THE LITTLE BIRD CAME AND SANG 



TO WINONA. 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



RILMA MARION BROWNE 

It 



Illustrated by Frank Holland 




MANCHESTER, N. H. 

STANDARD BOOK COMPANY 
1920 



Copyright by RILMA M. BROWNE, 192© 



I 



JOHN B. CLARKE CO. 
Printers 
Manchester, N. H. 



JAN -3 1921 



CONTENTS 

The Indian Story Hour 7 

Glooscap, the Giant 9 

Sen-link's Magic Hatchet 13 

How the Babbit Lost His Tail 16 

The Gift of the Fairy Maid 22 

The Boy's Lost Tear 26 

The Moose and the Fly 29 

The Tree that Never Laughs 32 

The Chiefs Dream 36 

The Warrior Who Became a Tree 40 

The Chipmunk's Black Stripe 43 

Lox and the Bear 45 

How Lox Played with Fire 49 

The Star Maid Who Became a Lily 54 

Why the Call of the Loon is Sad 58 

The Star of the North 61 

First Maple Sugar 66 

The Boy Who Became a Wolf 69 

The Bird Girl 76 

What His Vanity Cost the Crow 82 



The Rabbit's Queer Errand 87 

A Strange Game of Ball 93 

The Boy Scout 97 

The Wind King 104 

The Fairy Slippers 108 

The Great Stone Face 114 

Wasawa's Snow Shoes 121 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



The Indian Story Hour 



At the close of Day, when Night draws her 
curtain over all, and "pins it with a star," 
comes the Story Hour. How delightful then to 
sit at grandmother's knee and listen to her won- 
der stories. She never seems to tire of telling 
them. What wonderful things she has seen! 
What a wonderful life she has lived ! How we 
envy her and wish that we might do something 
just as wonderful. 

Did you ever stop to think that others have 
their Story Hours, just as we do? It is so. 
And the most wonderful of these was the In- 
dian Story Hour. It came at the same time 
as ours, between the daylight and darkness. 
The Story Tellers were the old women — the 
grandmothers of the simple race; and the 
stories they told were tales of wonderful things, 
listened to with awe by these children of Nature. 

Alid if you will come, hand in hand, with me 
to one of these family circles in the days of long 
ago, you may hear stranger stories than your 
grandmother ever dreamed of. Lo! An old, 
old woman is telling them, and she is seated 
before an open fireplace in the wildwood. The 
listeners are the old men as well as the chil- 



7 



8 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



dren of the tribe ; aye, the warriors and chiefs, 
too ! No one listens more closely than the big 
chief with the eagle plume. Sb you see we are 
in good company. 

They did not read from books, as we do, but 
listened to the tales of the old Story Tellers of 
the tribe. So you see they were precious 
stories to them and were told from age to age, 
since when even the Story Teller herself could 
not tell. She knew they were true, for her 
grandmother had told them to her when she was 
a child. I tell these stories as nearly in her 
words as I can. Listen! 



Glooscap, the Giant 

The Indian Grandmother sat before the fire. 
She was a great Story Teller. The children be- 
lieved every word she told them. The wilder 
the story, the better they liked it This is what 
she told the first Story Hour. 

The home of the Micmacs was on the Rock- 
ing Shore. All men were giants then. The 
animals were wiser than the men. So you see 
it was a Day of Wonders. The seas, lands and 
skies were peopled with gods and demi-gods. 
The biggest of these lived along the Rocking 
Shore. The wisest of these lived there. This 
was their battle-ground. So you can see it was 
a Wonder Land. 

The god of the Micmacs was Glooscap. He 
was at times a giant. When he stood up his 
head touched the stars! He could make him- 
self small if he wished. He was a great war- 
rior in time of war. He was a home-maker in 
time of peace. He was the greatest of the gods. 

NOTE.— The scene of this story is laid along the 
shore of Minas Basin and the Bay of Fundy. This 
section of seacoast is strewn with boulders, over- 
topped by that huge pillar of stone, Blomidon. The 
tide dashes against the land with such terrific 
power that the Indians claimed it rocked the shore. 
Hence the name, Rocking Shore. 



9 



10 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



When lie wished to do good he became a man. 
He was then just a common giant. If he 
wished to punish evil-doers, he changed to his 
biggest form. 

Men were living in the caverns of the earth 
before Glooscap came. They had not found 
light. Glooscap told them to come forth. And 
they did, one after another, and were pleased. 

Glooscap taught them how to build wigwams. 
He taught them how to make canoes, and 
weapons of war. He showed them how to catch 
fish. He told them which of the birds, animals 
and fish were good to eat. He told them which 
of the roots, herbs and plants were good medi- 
cine. 

There were many lesser gods. Some of them 
were good gods. Some of them were evil gods. 
So they had lively times among themselves. 
Often they called upon Glooscap to settle their 
quarrels. 

Glooscap called around him the creatures of 
the forest, both large and small. He gave them 
all a name. He asked them what they would 
do if they should meet a man. One after an- 
other said he would run. Glooscap laughed. 
He said, "I am not afraid of man. So I am 
your King." 

This pleased the animals. 

He lived far off, but was always near if the 



GLOOSCAP, THE GIANT 



11 



Micmacs wanted him. He helped them when 
they were in trouble. He was glad when they 
were happy. 

He sent animals into the woods to be game 
for the men. He filled the waters with fish. 
He scattered birds over the sky. And he ruled 
over the animals as he did over the men. 

Ho talked to the animals as he did to the 
men. They understood and talked with him* 
They also talked among themselves. And 
everyone was happy. 

Glooscap was a great hunter. To help run 
down the game he had wonderful Dogs. These 
Dogs were as fast as the wind. But their foot- 
steps gave back no sound. They were the 
biggest creatures on earth. You will be sur- 
prised when I tell you they were Squirrels. 
The Squirrel was a large animal then. But 
Glooscap had the power to make them small. 
He would take one in his hand, smooth it a bit, 
then it would be no larger than the Squirrel 
that we know. Glooscap was a great musician. 
There was nothing he could not do. 

So Glooscap and his wonderful Dogs came 
and went as they chose. Those were happy 
Days for the Red Men. They were happy 
Days for the animals. By and by a shadow 
fell across their path. It was the shadow of 
the Pale-Face. 



12 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



Glooscap, all-wise, knew the Palefaces were 
coming. So lie called his Dogs around him. 
He called each one by name. He told them the 
Days of the Red Men were over. ~No more 
would they be allowed to hunt the panting Deer. 
JSTever again would they follow the wary Fox. 
E"or would they ever run down the Wblf . The 
thunder of the Pale-Face would end the chase. 
Then he said : 

"I am going away. But I will come again. 
When I come we will have a merry race. The 
woods will ring with your shouts. The sky 
will echo the twang of my bow. Sleep till then. 
It will be well. I will watch over you." 

Then he moved his Magic Wand over them. 
In the twinHinig of an eye all were changed 
into stones. There they lie now, scattered 
along the Rocking Shore. 

For a long time the Red Men and the ani- 
mals have Watched and waited for Glooscap to 
come back. He may come yet. But the Stone 
Dogs lying so still along the Rocking Shore are 
losing their shapes. The Red Men are losing 
their faith. Why does not Glooscap keep his 
promise? He is all-wise. He alone can 
answer. 



Sehunk's Magic Hatchet 



Miany moons ago the daughters of men wed 
with the gods. This made them wise. But 
this did not make them better. They became 
very vain. 

So the men grew wiser and greater. The 
animals did not like this. They wanted to be 
greater. The Moose said he must be King. 
The Bear said he should be King. Sb one after 
•another wanted to rule. 

Now the Great Spirit wanted to teach His 
children a lesson. He sent a big storm of wind 
and rain on the Earth. What a storm ! The 
valleys became great rivers. The land became 
seas. 

The people had to stay in their canoes to 
keep from drowning. Many of the canoes were 
lost in the flood. The animals who could not 
swim were drowned. 

Now there was one man water did not harm. 
This was Sehunk. He was not a boaster. He 
and his Squaw lived by themselves. His canoe 
kept afloat while the others went down. 

NOTE. — This is one of several stories the In- 
dians told of a great flood that visited the earth 
to punish men for their wickedness. 



13 



11 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



"Save us, Sehunk!" cried the others. 

But Sehunk could not save them, They had 
quarreled with each other. That is why this 
storm had come to punish them. 

"Save me, Sehunk!" cried the Bear. "I 
never harmed you." 

"'Save me, Sehunk !" begged the Wolf. 

"Save me, Sehunk!" begged the Fox. 

But still Sehunk could not save them. The 
storm lasted a long time. When it was over 
Sehunk and his Squaw were all alone on the 
big sea. After a long time his canoe began to 
leak. He saw a little island. It was the top 
of a high mountain. 

He went towards the island. There were 
animals upon it. He sent his Squaw to see if 
it would be safe to land. 

When they saw the woman they all crept 
back. Sehunk stepped on the land. The 
water began to run away. He could see the 
heads of other mountains. 

That night Sehunk had a strange dream. 
He thought he was ruler over all the land. But 
when he awoke he heard the animals talking. 
They wanted to overcome him. The Great 
Spirit whispered to him: 

"Hit the rock with your hatchet!" 

Sehunk did. There was a loud noise among 
the animals. He found that they each spoke a 
different language. A moment before they all 



sehtok's magic hatchet 15 



talked alike. iNotw they could not talk to- 
gether. 

The animals were very angry. They wanted 
to kill Sehunk. Sehunk trembled. There 
were many animals. 

The Moose was at the head of the animals. 
Hie looked very fierce. If he killed Sehunk 
then he would be King. When the Moose came 
near him, Sehunk struck at him with his 
hatchet. He did not hit the Moose at all! 
The hatchet went flying into the air. It broke 
into a thousand pieces. Wherever one fell 
everything was changed. 

The Moose was made smaller. He was made 
as we see him now. So was the Bear, the Wolf, 
the Fox, the Squirrel, and all the other ani- 
mals. 'Stranger still, each spoke a language 
of his own. They could no longer talk with 
each other. They were scattered to all parts of 
the Earth. 

Sehunk was safe. He and his Squaw made 
their wigwam there. From these two came the 
people of the woods and plains. 



How the Rabbit Lost His Tail 

I am going to tell you, children, of the time 
when there was no fire. 

Grandmother pulled her faded shawl about 
her. 

Once the animals were higher than men. 
But they had to sit all night and shiver. They 
had no fire. The rocks split and the trees 
snapped with the cold. 

"It is too bad," said the Fox. His teeth 
chattered as he spoke. 

"The Eagles have fire," said the big, horned 
Owl. 

"Little good it will do us," growled the 
Wolf. "Who can climb to his house? It is 
higfh up on the mountain." 

"I can," chirped the Eed Squirrel. "I can 
climb as high as the Eagle can find a nesting- 
place. Give me but a tiny twig for my feet to 
cling to. I can climb to the sky !" 

Little Red was a great boaster. They did 
not pay any attention to what he said. 

"The Eagle is too stingy to give us any- 

NOTE. — It was a belief among the Indians that 
in some remote period there was no warmth in the 
world save that which came from the Sun. This 
is but one of several legends to account for the 
possession of fire. 



16 



HOW THE BABBIT LOST HIS TAIL 17 



thing," said the Bear. "That is not my way. 
I have shared my dinner with him many times." 

"I can get the fire," chirped Little Red. 

"How?" asked all the animals. 

"Let me think, " said the Squirrel. 

Away he skipped through the tree-tops, chat- 
tering merrily. 

While he was gone the animals huddled close 
together. They were very cold. 

"I have it!" said the Squirrel, coming back 
from 1 his trip. 

"'The fire ?" asked the others. The Jay pulled 
his head out from under his wing to listen. 

"No. How could I get fire on such a short 
trip ? But I have thought of a plan." 

"Listen, listen!" cried all. "Hear what the 
wise little Squirrel has to say. 

Little Red knew the others were making fun 
of him. He did not care. 

"Let's have a big party," he said. "We will 
invite the Eagles. I will go and ask them to 
coma" 

They were all pleased. The Squirrel put on 
his best little coat. He buttoned it up about 
his throat. He put his new ear lappets on and 
started. It was a long, cold trip. He went to 
the very top of the mountain. 

"I never saw such a fool -as 1 the Eagle is," 
said Little Red. He often talked to himself. 
"Why should anybody build his house on such 
a high place ? He needs a fire here." 



18 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



Little Red hurried on. He chattered to him- 
self all the way. 

"The Eagle doesn't want anyone else to have 
fire. He is very selfish. Once he had a fine 
plume on his head. One day he stuck it in the 
fire. It was burned off. Xow he must al- 
ways have a bald head." 

At last he reached the EagW nest. He tried 
to look very wise. He did not knock at the 
door. The Eagles were frightened at first. 
Then they were angry. Little Bed did not 
care. He talked very funny. Soon the 
Eagles began to laugh. 

Little Eed knew that his plan was working 
all right. He told the Eagles how wise they 
were. And what a fine view they had from 
their high home. He talked till the Eagles be- 
came sleepy. Then he told them of the great 
party the animals were going to have. 

"We are having this party for you," he said. 
"You must come." 

The Eagles were very much pleased and said 
they would surely be at the party. 

"It is very warm here," Little Eed said. 
"But in the valley it is cold. You will shiver 
there if you do not bring some of your fire 
with you." 

The Eagles promised to take some coals of 
fire with them. But they must carry all of it 
away when the party was over. 



HOW THE BABBIT LOST HIS TAIL 19 

Little Red did not mind this. 

"Let me get them there," he said to himself. 
"I will see that they do not take all the fire 
back with them." 

So the party was given. The Eagles were 
there with their fire. S ! ure enough, it was nice 
and warm. They had the best of food. All 
were very happy. 

Now, while the Eagles were talking to the 
other animal®, Little Eed hnrried to find Master 
Rabbit. 

Master Rabbit was the great Mischief Maker. 
He was always getting someone in trouble. 
Sometimes it was himself. 

Now the Rabbit had a very fine tail. It was 
long and bushy. He was very proud of it. It 
kept him warm on long, cold nights. It was so 
large he could wrap himself up in it. 

"If I only had such a long, fine tail as you," 
said Little Red, "I should be very happy. I 
would be the happiest animal in the whole 
world." 

The Rabbit gave his tail a shake. He said 
nothing. But he liked what Little Red had 
said. Little Red knew it. 

"I have an idea!" said Little Red. 

Master Rabbit perked up his ears to listen. 

"Isn't it too bad the Eagles are going to take 
all their fire back with them ?" asked Little Red. 

Master Rabbit might have thought so. But 



20 



INDIAN STOEY HOUR 



he did not say anything. He had not been 
very cold anyway. His thick tail had kept him 
warm. 

Little Red did not like it because Master 
Rabbit had not asked him what his idea was-. 

"The Eagles must be made to leave some of 
their fire with us," he said. "I will tell you 
how it can be done. You are the one to do it." 

Master Rabbit was pleased. But before he 
could do much thinking Little Red said : 

"We will wait till the party is over. You 
must be sitting near one of the buckets of fire. 
Keep still till one of the Eagles comes to take 
the fire away. 

"Then look frightened. Give your tail a 
whisk. Let it fall into the fire. Then give 
your tail a smart switch. It will send the fire 
flying all about. Some of it the Eagles will 
not find. I am certain of this. You will be 
chosen Chief at our next election. What a 
beautiful tail !" 

The Rabbit was always planning to play 
some trick on someone else. But he never 
thought the innocent Little Red had any prank 
to play on him. Still he knew Little Red was 
a rogue. But Little Red looked very innocent 
then. 

******* 

Nbw the party was over. The Eagles were 
getting ready to go home. Master Rabbit was? 



HOW THE BABBIT LOST HIS TAIL 21 

sitting by one of the buckets of fire. He saw 
the Eagles coming to get it. He gave his bushy 
tail a swish. 

It swung right into the bucket. He did not 
think of its catching fire. Poor Bunny! It 
seemed as if all the bees in the forest had stung 
him. He cried with pain. He switched his 
tail in the air. The sparks flew far and wide. 

He could not shake the fire off. He ran 
through the woods as fast as he could. At every 
leap the fire flew all about him. Oh, how it 
stung ! What should he do ? 

He did not stop till he had reached a brook. 
He jumped in. The water put out the fire. 
But alas! his bushy tail was gone. Only a 
stub remained. How unhappy poor Master 
Rabbit was! 

The Eagles had gone off in a huff. They 
could not gather up all of their fire. 

"See!" cried Little Red, "all of the animals 
have got fire. They can keep warm now. 
You can thank me for that." 

"Look at poor me!" whined the Babbit. 
"Where has my beautiful tail gone?" 

"To help keep the fire. It made a beauti- 
ful brush," added mischievous Bed. 

So no Babbit has had a tail since that day. 
You will see if you have a Babbit of your 
own that he has only a little stub tail. But 
you know now it was lost in a good cause. 



The Gift of the Fairy Maid 



An Old Man dwelt alone in a snow hut. He 
must have been very old, for his beard reached 
down to his knees. His eyes were very small. 
They shone like balls of fire under his beetling 
eyebrows. But his eyesi were the only bright 
things about him. When he breathed, his 
breath was like hoar frost. He was kept half 
of the time knocking icicles from his long white 
beard. 

When he was not doing that, he was kept 
busy bringing wood from the forest to throw 
upon the fire that scolded and sputtered because 
it had to work so hard to keep his wigwam 
warm. 

ISTow he had grown weak and feeble. Wood 
had become scarce. He shivered with the cold. 
In the days of his youth he had laughed at the 
North Wind when it wound about his lodge a 
white sheet of snow. 

He returned from the far woods with his 
armful of fagots. He found that while he had 
been gone the Storm King had built a high wall 
of snow before his door. He threw down his 

NOTE — In this beautiful Indian fancy the Old 
Man is Winter, while the Fairy Maid from the 
South Land is Spring. Hence her first gift to man 
was the Arbutus, the favorite flower of spring- 
time. 



22 



THE GIFT OP THE FAIRY MAID 



23 



sticks of green wood. He staggered into his 
hut > crying in despair : 

u O, M'aniteau ! have pity on a poor old man 
freezing to death !" 

He had barely spoken when a breath of warm 
air came in at the open door. His; benumbed 
limbs felt new life. 

Looking up, he saw a beautiful maiden stand- 
ing by the door. He knew she was a Fairy of 
the Forest, by her dress and the flowers in her 
sunny hair. Her moccasins had fringes of 
ferns and sweet-smelling flowers. 

"Did you call me?" she asked. As she 
spoke, the fragrance of her breath filled the 
wigwam. 

"I am cold," he replied, and he shivered till 
his teeth chattered. "I feel the cold more since 
you have come/' he added. 

"It is because you are not used to my ways," 
she said, gently. "I am from the sunny South 
Land. You will like me better when I have 
been here a little while. Seel the icicles are 
falling from your beard." 

She had spoken the truth. The frost was 
melting all about him. It ran down into his 
moccasins. 

He saw, also, that the snow was fast running 
away from his door in little brooks of water. 

She smiled, as if enjoying his surprise. He 
was pleased to find that he no longer shivered 



24 



INDIAN STOET HOUIi 



with the cold. But he was too proud to let her 
know it, so he said as gruffly as he could: 

"I am King in the North Land, where lies 
my home. The North Wind is my Chariot. I 
ride where it listeth. The Storm Hosts are my 
warriors. They fight my battles for me." 

"I am Queen of the South Land," she re- 
plied, "and the South Wind is my messenger. 
She carries on her wings the good news of my 
coming to all who want me." 

Strange to say, as he grew warmer he grew 
weaker. He knew she was taking away his 
boasted strength. But he rallied to exclaim : 

"I am mighty ! With my breath I brush the 
leaves from the trees! I spread a white man- 
tle of snow over the earth it cannot shake off ! 
I cover with roofs of ice the waters, and they 
are put to sleep. I am a mighty King. I 
laugh in the face of the South Wind and bind 
her wings in icy fetters I" 

She smiled sweetly. When she spoke again 
it was in a tone of pity rather than anger : 

"I have long admired your strength, Old 
Man. But it is fast leaving you. I will give 
back, with new beauty, the leaves you took from 
the trees. I will wash the earth with the snow 
you spread over it. My breath will crumble 
the ice-roofs you raised over the rivers. They 
will waken from their long sleep. So I am 
greater than you. In my work I bring joy, 
while you give pain." 



THE GIFT OF THE FAIRY MAID 25 

The Old Man nodded, but he did not speak 
again. 

The twittering of a bird was heard outside 
the cabin: 

"Water ! give me water/' it said. 

Up from the river, which was now running 
merrily, came the glad welcome: 

"I am free! Come and drink." 

Now the Maiden saw that only a bunch of 
dry leaves was left of the Old Man! 

These leaves she took in her arms. She ten- 
derly laid them down outside the wigwam. 
Then she knelt beside them, and took a hand- 
ful of pink and white blossoms from her bosom. 

While doing this the Maiden whispered 
softly: "0 precious Flower! I give to thee my 
sweetest breath. All that is good and beautiful 
of me I give to thee. As I endow thee upon 
my bended knee, so must all kneel who would 
have thee." 

The birds sang gleefully as she rose to her 
feet. Wherever the foot of this Fairy Maid, 
whose name was Spring, touched the earth clus- 
ters of Arbutus sprang up, to make us happy 
with their beauty and fragrance. 



The Boy's Lost Tear 



Wabanuit was his mother's favorite. She 
was very proud of him. He had two big broth- 
ers. When he was ten years old his mother 
made him a beautiful beaver-skin robe. His 
brothers did not like this. They would not let 
him go on the Fall Hunt with them. They 
said he was too small. 

This made him feel very sad. He went off 
by himself in the woods to cry. He took his 
fine beaver robe with him. He laid down in 
the forest. He wrapped his robe about him. 

He was very comfortable. He soon fell 
asleep. By and by the Sun looked down upon 
him. To punish him for his foolishness, she 
burned a hole in the robe. The heat curled the 
edges. It made the robe much smaller. It 
would not cover him. 

The hot rays of the Sun awoke Wabanuit 
and he cried: 

"0 Sun! why do you burn me so?" 

"To punish you for your foolishness." 

"See! You have burned a hole in my new 
robe ! You have spoiled my robe mother made 
for me!" 

The Sun smiled, but said nothing. 

"Why do you punish me so? I have done 
nothing to you." 



26 



THE BOY'S LOST TEAK 



The Sun smiled again, but did not speak. 

W'abanuit gathered up his bow and arrows. 
Hie went back to his mother's wigwam. He laid 
down in a dark corner to cry as he had never 
cried before. 

His sister heard him. She asked him why 
he was 1 crying. 

"My big brothers won't let me hunt with 
them/' he sobbed. 

"That is not worth crying for/' she answered. 
"Soon you will be big. Then you can hunt all 
by yourself." 

"The Sun laughed at me when I spoke to 
her." 

"Eo, brother; that is the way she speaks 
kindly to you." 

"See, she burned a hole in my beaver robe. 
She has ruined it." 

He held up the robe. She saw where it had 
been burned. 

"That is nothing," said his sister. "You can 
easily mend it." 

"How?" he asked. 

"Gather up all the tears you have shed. 
Bind them in the robe. Then wrap the robe 
about yon, as you did before. Lie down in the 
same place. When the dew falls, that and your 
tears will make the robe as it was before." 

Wabanuit was pleased. It was all very 
simple. He promised his sister to be very 
careful. 



28 



INDIAN STOEY HOUB 



He looked for his tears. There was one he 
could not find. He must have it or the hole 
would not all be filled. 

He could not find it. So he laid down, as 
his sister told him. 

When he awoke he found his robe as large 
as it had ever been. The hole was not there. 
But there was a tiny place where the lost tear 
belonged. The Sun kept behind a cloud. She 
was ashamed of what she had done. 

His sister laughed when she saw the robe. 
She saw the place where the tear was missing. 

"Let that ever be a lesson to you. Do not 
cry over what cannot be helped. You will be 
the wisest man in the tribe." 

Her words proved true. He became a great 
chief. He ruled long and wisely over his 
people. 




From a drawing by Frank Plolland 



THE MOOSE TOSSED HIGH HIS HEAD AND ROARED 
WITH RAGE- 



The Moose and the Fly 



There was a time when there were no hills. 
The rivers flowed smoothly. 'There were no 
waterfalls in them. It was very quiet in those 
days. The animals talked with each other. 

The biggest of all the animals was the Moose. 
The other animals were all afraid 1 ' of him. 
Will you believe it when I tell you that one man 
standing on another man's shoulders could not 
look over the Moose's back ? 

One day the Moose came to the river to 
drink. He was very thirsty. He had come a 
long way. So the \vater tasted good to him. 
He drank and drank. 

Now the Moose was so large that none of the 
other animals dared to ask him to stop. 

Old Mister Beaver was at work making a 
dam. His boys were helping him. The Moose 
was drinking up all the water Mister Beaver 
needed to fill his pond. 

"Look!" shouted Sammy. "It is the big 
Moose. He is drinking the river dry!" 

Mister Beaver looked. Sure enough, the 

NOTE — This story accounts for the Indian idea 
of the origin of waterfalls in rivers. It probably 
refers to the Merrimack, which name comes from 
the Indian term Merru-asquam-ack, meaning "place 
of swift water." Previously it had been known as 
Kas-kon-sha-di, i. e., "broken waters." 



29 



IXDIAX STORY HOUR 



greedy old Moose was drinking up the big 
pond he had made. 

"Run, Sammy, and tell old Bruin, the Bear. 
Ask him to speak to the Moose." 

"Yon, Tommy, run to the Wolf. Harry, 
you go to the Fox. Hurry, or the water will 
be all gone." 

So they told the other animals. The ani- 
mals said they did not care. But the truth was, 
they were afraid to ask the Moose to stop drink- 
ing. They made all kinds of excuses. One 
said he was too busy. Another said he was too 
sleepy. Still another said he had to go away. 
The poor Beaver did not know what to do. 

Xow the poor fish became frightened. He 
was drinking up their home. Something must 
be done. Who should do it \ 

At last one big Trout called to a little Fly. 

"Little Fly, go quickly and light on that 
Moose. He is drinking up all the water. Bite 
him as hard as you can." 

"I am not afraid of any Moose," said the 
Fly. '"Xothing would suit me any better than 
a bite under his shoulder. I'D see that he 
doesn't drink all the water/' 

So the little Fly went to the Moose. He 
lighted on the Moose's shoulder. He bit and 
bit. The Moose tried to shake him off. But 
the Fly hung on. The Moose shook his great 
body again. But he could not stop the Fly. 



THE MOOSE AND THE FLY 



31 



"S*op! 77 lie thundered. "Stop, or I will 
crush you under my hoof. 77 

This only pleased the Fly. He dug deeper 
and deeper. The Moose became more angry. 
He could not stand it any longer. He tossed 
high his head. He stamped the ground. 

A great change took place. Do you remem- 
ber how smoothly the river had run? Xow it 
was broken into many pieces! The water 
dashed over great rocks. It ran so fast the 
Moose could not catch it. Since then the rivers 
have waterfalls. The fish have not been afraid 
that their homes would be swallowed up by some 
thirsty monster. The Beaver builds his dam 
without fear. 



The Tree that Never Laughs 



Little Innegola loved to roam about in the 
forest, all by herself. She played simple games 
in the great out-of-doors. Often when her 
mother sent her on errands she played by the 
wayside. Her mother had to scold her for this. 

One day her mother sent her to gather some 
herbs. She told her not to stop on the way. It 
would soon be dark. 

So Innegola promised her mother not to be 
gone too long. She started on her errand very 
happy. The Day was nice. She saw many 
pretty things to keep her. How the time flew ! 

She just had to stop to pick some wild- 
flowers. They seemed to beckon to her. The 
tiniest little Chipmunk ran across her path. He 
came so near she had to chase him ! There were 
ever so many ferns and flowers to throw into the 
brook. She watched the running water carry 
them away. The birds were calling to her. 
She stopped to see them flit from tree to tree. 
She listened to their newest songs. Oh, it was 
delightful ! 

All these took up her time. It was growing 

NOTE — It was a belief among the Red Men that 
the trees talked among themselves, and while they 
chattered their nonsense, they laughed with glee if 
it pleased them. The Oak was especially light- 
hearted until the incident in this story took place. 



32 



TREE THAT NEVER LAUGHS 



33 



dark in the woods before she had gathered the 
herbs. 

"Here I am at the big old Oak. I mil stop 
to pick a handful of Acorns. Then I will run 
all the way home." 

The old Oak had always been very kind to 
her. She loved to play under his sheltering 
arms. Sometimes he told her stories. He 
laughed with her when she was pleased. 

So she picked the Acorns and still tarried^ 
saying : 

"I can get home before the Moon rises. 
Mother will not care — very much." 

It grew dark under the O'ak. She could no 
longer see to pick the Acorns. She started to 
weave a rope of leaves. A voice from among 
the branches of the tree said to her : 

"You had better go back to your mother !" 

She was a little frightened at first. She 
looked all about her. She could see no one. 

"It was only my idle ears trying to frighten 
me," she mused, and kept on with her work. 

"You had better go back to your mother! 
You had better go back to your mother!" re- 
peated the strange voice. 

She was not mistaken this time. It was the 
Oak speaking. 

"I am going very soon," snapped Innegola. 

"Your poor mother is looking for you. You 
had better go now." 



34 



IXDIAX STOEY HOUK 



Innegola did not mean to disobey her mother. 
She was only thoughtless. 

"Go! go now!'' commanded the Oak, in a 
stern tone. 

"I will go as soon as I get ready, you hateful 
old Tree. I won't be told by you." 

Innegola soon gathered her herbs into a bun- 
dle. She looked up into the home of the Oak 
children. She gave the kind old tree a kick, 
saying : 

''Take that, you hateful old meddler!" 

The old Oak shook to the leafy cap upon his 
head. He was very angry. Before Innegola 
had walked beyond the widest spreading 
branch she stopped. She was quickly changed 
into an herb. It was the same kind she had 
been gathering. 

The old Oak was sorry for what he had done. 
It is easier to do a wrong thing than it is to 
undo it. He had really loved the child. Xow 
he had lost her. 

But he told the Chipmunk what he had done. 
The Oak begged the Chipmunk to go to her 
weeping mother and tell her to put all the herbs 
Innegola had found into a deep vessel. Then 
she must gather all the water that had washed 
away the ferns Innegola had tossed into the 
brook. Then pour it into a vessel. After this 
she must build a fire of witch hazel branches. 
While the herbs were brewing she must chant 
the songs Innegola loved best. 



TKEE THAT NEVEE LAUGHS 



o5 



It was very dark when the Chipmunk brought 
the wordl So her mother could not find all of 
the herbs. The water had run far since Inne- 
gola had played on the bank of the brook. It 
was very late before the fire had begun to make 
the pot boil. 

Everything was against her. To make mat- 
ters worse, when little Innegola was changed 
back to her own self, she was a woman grown. 

So little Innegola lost the best years of her 
life. The old Oak felt so bad that he has never 
laughed since. 



The Chief's Dream 



In the long ago men were few. They lived 
far apart. They ate nuts, barks and roots. 
They did not talk much with each other. So 
they became very sullen. 

One of them began to dream of better things. 
When he slept in his wigwam he saw many 
strange sights. He saw a wondrous maiden. 
She had long yellow hair. Her step was very 
light. 

This dream seemed very real. One morning 
he found the Maid of his dreams standing be- 
side him when he awoke. He could not be- 
lieve his eyes. He thought he was still dream- 
ing. But he knew he was not when she spoke 
to him. 

"I am the life of your dreams. Tell me 
what you want most." 

"I am lonely here," he said. "Stay with 
me so that I may have somebody to talk to." 

"!No, I cannot do that. What else would you 
wish?" 

"Food and warmth," he said. 

"But you have nuts and barks of many 
kinds," she said. "When you move about, you 
are warm/'" 

"ISfow you mock me!" he cried. "The Maid 
of my dreams never told me that." 



36 



THE CHIEF'S DREAM 



37 



"■Sleep tonight," she said. "If you dream 
the same again, I will come tomorrow to hear 
your wish." 

He slept again. He dreamed. He saw the 
beautiful Maid with the blue eyes and yellow 
hair. 

The next Day she came, as she had promised. 
She listened kindly to his three wishes. He 
wished to have her stay with him. He wished 
for warmth and food. 

She shook her head, saying: 

"It cannot t>e — not yet. Sleep and dream 
again tonight." 

With these words she went away. In his 
dream he saw the Maid. He talked with her. 
She smiled upon him. He wished again. 
But she shook her head and said: 

"No, it cannot be — not yet. Sleep once more. 
If you do not dream I will never come again. 
If you do, I will stay with you always." 

"Stay now, beautiful Maid," he said. "I 
fear I shall not dream tonight. And if I do 
not, I shall never see you again." 

She shook her head again. She went away. 

He laid down once more. He could not 
sleep. He seemed to see her everywhere. To- 
wards morning he fell asleep. He dreamed. 
When he opened his eyes she stood beside him. 

"You have dreamed of me again ?" she asked. 

"Yes," he said. "And you will stay with 
me always?" 



INDIAN STGRY HOUR 



"Yes," she answered. "If you will do one 
thing." 

"Name it," he said. "There is nothing I 
would not do." 

"'Come with me. I will give you food and 
warmth. I will stay with you always." 

He was very happy. He followed her to a 
patch of dry yet grassy land. 

"Find two splinters of wood and bring them 
to me," she said. 

He did this. She told him to rub them to- 
gether. He did this. The pieces of wood 
grew warm. A spark flew out. A tiny flame 
leaped from the sticks. The fire fell to the 
ground. It began to burn the grass. 

The warrior was surprised. He watched the 
fire spread. It covered all of the grassy plot. 
It left a black blanket over it. 

The fire had given the Red Man warmth. 
That was one wish the Maid had given him. 

"I have kept one promise," she said. "Now 
you must help me keep the others." 

She looked more beautiful than she had be- 
fore. 

"Anything, fair Maid," he said. 

"The Sun will soon set. The Night will 
put on her Robe of Darkne&s. Then you must 
take me by my long, yellow hair. Drag me 
over the ground, back and forth, everywhere on 
the ground that was burned by the fire you 



THE CHIEF'S DREAM 



39 



made. Where my body touches a plant will 
come into life. There shall be a lock of my 
yellow hair on it. This will show I have not 
forgotten you." 

He did not want to do this. But he dared 
not refuse. So he did as she said. The most 
beautiful grass he had ever seen sprang up. 
It was green and had wide leaves. When the 
Autumn came there were bars of golden fruit 
on it. ^ow he had the food he had wished for. 
And there he found the little tuft of yellow 
hair that the Maiden had said he would find. 
He knew the Maid was near him. So he was 
not lonesome. Do you know what kind of a 
plant it was ? It was Indian Corn. 

The long Winter nights came. He sat by 
the fire. She had taught him how to make it. 
He knew again she was with him. And he was 
not lonesome. His three wishes had come true. 



The Warrior Who Became a Tree 



Coas was a great warrior. He was the tallest 
and bravest young man in his tribe. He was 
proud of his great strength. This did not suit 
his companions. They disliked him very 
much, more so because he could do everything 
he said he could do. There was never a chase 
he did not lead. ~No pole was strung with more 
scalp locks than his. There was no young man 
who stood in such high favor with the girls of 
the tribe as Ooas did. And so the others be- 
came very bitter towards him. They disliked 
him so much that they wanted to think of some 
plan to get him out of the way. 

They tried many times, but failed to get the 
best of him. Their excuse for not doing so 
was that he was a mighty hunter and the for- 
est loved and protected him'. At last they de- 
cided to go to the Medicine Men for advice. 

NOTE — The Indian belief that every tree and 
shrub sprang from human love and were endowed 
with all the attributes of a human being is veri- 
fied in the following legend of the origin of the 
pine. In the early days of the world there were 
no great trees such as we look upon, but forests 
of smaller dimensions flourished, and it was be- 
lieved nothing could be improved upon the plants 
and trees that covered the barren places of the 
earth as well as the rich valleys and the hillsides. 
But one by one these came, and the first among 
these was the pine. Its origin is explained as 
the above story narrates. 



40 



WARRIOR WHO BECAME A TREE 



41 



3Tow it proved that the Medicine Men did not 
like Cbas. So they were ready to help in the 
plans. 

"Only get him into the open country, " said 
one of the wisest men. "Then I can change 
him into any shape you may say." 

This pleased the others. They asked that 
Coas be changed into a bush, far out on the 
plain, where he could see others go by but 
could not take part in any of their sports. 

So a race was planned. They were to run 
across the plain, which was too poor to bear 
anything except a few running blackberry vines. 

They invited Ooas to join. He was very 
pleased to do so. He did not think, of course, 
that the others were plotting against him. He 
would be sure to win the race. 

When the time came for the race there were 
over a hundred there to see who should win. 
Ooas, as was expected, quickly led. He ran 
very fast, leaving the others far behind. But 
when he was about midway of the plain, the 
Old Medicine Man began to clap his hands and 
shout : 

"A bushr-a bush!" 

And lo ! The mighty warrior stopped short 
in his flight and looked back. The spell of the 
forest was broken. The Old Medicine Man 
clapped his hands louder than before in his 
glee. 



42 



IXDIAX STORY HOUR 



He had stopped Coas in his race, but he 
could do no more. Instead of the bush he had 
expected to see in the barren plain rose a tree 
like a giant above the rocks. Xobody had ever 
seen one of its kind before. 

Its mighty form was clothed in a dark green 
vestment. It was not like the birch or elm 
or any other tree growing on earth. All who 
had come to watch the race looked on in won- 
der. The strange tree lifted its green-crested 
crown higher and higher until it reached nearly 
to the sky. 

The mighty Coas was changed to a Pine. 
There he stood for years and years on the plain. 
But the plain was not barren now. Many more 
Pines sprung up to keep Coas company, so he 
was not lonely. The hunter rested under his 
dark shadows at mid-day. At eventide lovers 
delighted to sit beneath his sheltering arms. 
He heard many strange tales told by those who 
did not know they had a listener. All these he 
locked within his bosom and none were the 
wiser. 

This is how we happen to have the Pine tree. 
When you see one of these big trees and seem 
to hear a murmuring as it sways to and fro, re- 
member the spirit of the mighty warrior, 
Coas, is near you. 



The Chipmunk's Black Stripe 



Once the Porcupine was chosen ruler of the 
animals. A great question was before these 
people to decide. Some wanted it to be always 
dark. Some wanted it to be always light. 
Which should it be 3 All Day, or should it be 
Night all the time ? To settle this question, 
the new King called them together. To be 
perfectly fair to all, the Porcupine called this 
meeting on the full of the Moon. 

Certain animals asked that it be Night all the 
time. Among these was the Bear. He went 
about growling: 

"Night is best! Night is best!" 

Other animals wanted the Sun to shine by 
Night as well as by Day. 

Among these was the Moose. 'So he went 
about calling in his deep bass voice: 

"The Day is best ! The Day is best !" 

Others wanted it just as it was. 'They wanted 
the Sun to shine by Day and the Moon to shine 
by Night, when he was not too busy!" 

Among these was the Chipmunk. He liked 
the Day for his merry pranks. He liked the 
Nights for his naps. <So he went about sing- 
ing cheerily: 

"The light will follow the dark! The light 
will follow the dark!" 



43 



44 



INDIAN STORY HOUE 



The lively little Chipmunk sang this ditty 
until, behold! the rosy face of the Sun peeped 
over the rim of the hills! 

Then the others saw that the Chipmunk had 
won. This made those who wanted it to be 
Night all the time very angry. 

The Bear was so angry he gave chase to the 
Chipmunk. This nimble little fellow ran so 
fast that he reached his home in the hollow tree 
before the Bear could catch him. But just as 
he was darting into his hole, the Bear struck 
him with his huge paw. This came so near it 
grazed the back of the Chipmunk. The foot of 
the Bear left a black streak on the back of the 
Chipmunk, And every Chipmunk since has 
carried that mark to show that Day still follows 
night, as he wanted it. 




From a drawing by Frank Holland 

"WHAT ARE YOU CRYING FOR, MISTRESS BRUIN?" 
ASKED LOX. 



Lox and the Bear 



One Day Lox was walking in the great green 
woods. He was trying to think up some joke 
to play on somebody. He heard a great sob- 
bing near him. He looked about him. He 
saw an old black Bear sitting on a rock. She 
was crying as if her heart were broken. He 
asked her why she was crying. She brushed 
the teardrops from her hairy cheeks with her 
big paw and said : 

"Oh, Master Lox! That Gull that just flew 
over is as white as snow. What a shame it is 
that I can't be white !" 

"Pooh, Mistress Mooin (Bear), that is a 
very small matter. Perhaps you do not know 
that I made the Gull white." 

"Why, Master Lox, what a magician you 
must be ! Can you really change such a dingy 
brown coat as mine to snow white ?" 

"Most certainly I can, Mistress Mooin." 

"Oh, how happy I should be! Will you 
make me as white as the Gull ?" 

This is what the cunning Lox had wanted. 
He told the foolish Bear that he could do it 

NOTE — Lox was known as the Mischief Maker. 
There are many strange tales told about him. He 
was a strange fellow. He never took matters seri- 
ously. He often had good times by making others 
unhappy. This little story finds Lox busy with 
his tricks. 



45 



40 



INDIAN STOEY HOUR 



in fine shape. But there was much to go 
through." 

"Did the Gull have to do it ?" asked the Bear. 

"Oh, yes. But you know the Gull is tough 
and has a a'reat deal of courage." 

"Well, if the Gull stood it I guess I can," 
replied the Bear. She was very anxious now. 
"My frame is like stone. I am very brave." 

Lox was just as anxious to begin as she was 
to have him. He began to build a stout stone 
wigwam. It must be tight enough to hold 
water. Then he told the Bear to take a seat 
inside. He poured some water through the 
hole in the roof. The water covered her. 
Then he threw in some hot stones as fast as 
he could. Soon the water was warm. Then 
it was boiling hot. Clouds of steam filled the 
place, but Mistress Bruin found no fault. 
She was thinking of the fine white coat she 
would have. 

Lox wondered why she didn't ask him to 
stop. He heated the stones twice as hot and 
threw them in faster than he had before. This 
was more than Mistress Mooin could endure. 
She cried out: 

"Stop, Master Lox ! You must stop !" 

"A little longer, Mistress Mooin." His sides 
were shaking with laughter. "I am sorry to 
say the Gull showed twice as much courage as 
you do." 



LOX AND THE BEAK 



4? 



He poured in more water and more red-hot 
stones. 

"X can't — I can't — stand — it — any — longer 
—Master Lox!" 

The great Mischief Maker was having too 
good a time to stop. He kept on faster than 
ever. She shouted again: 

"Stop— help me— o-out— Oh— Oh!" 

Mistress Bruin was now frantic. With her 
strong shoulders she knocked down the stone 
walls. Over they went. The water ran all 
around. He made believe he did not know 
she had knocked down the wigwam. He ran 
to her, saying: 

"Isn't it too bad the wigwam did not stand 
a little longer ? Look ! You were beginning to 
turn white." He pointed to a white spot under 
her throat. All old bears have a white spot 
there. But they cannot see it, of course. 

"Is it really true, Master Lox? Had I be- 
gun to turn white ?" 

"'Look in the pool of water and see for your- 
self," he replied. She could see that she had 
a white spot on her throat. She was surprised 
and pleased. 

"Oh, if you only had waited a little longer," 
said Lox. "You would have been all white." 

He wanted her to try again. But she would 
not. She said: 



48 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



"I shall have to get along with this little 
white spot. I never could live to be made 
white all over." 

Lox could have no more fun. So he started 
off to find another victim. 



How Lox Played with Fire 



One Day Lox set out on a long journey. He 
started off in such a hurry that he forgot to 
take his firebox with him. The weather was 
very cold and Lox shivered, for he had no fire. 
At the end of the first day he heard the cries 
of Wolves. So he waited for them to come up. 

The Wolves thought it was a great honor, for 
Master Lox did not very often speak to a com- 
mon Wolf. Lox spoke to them in their tongue, 
as he could speak many languages. They were 
very much pleased and invited Lox to stay with 
them that jSTight. 

The oldest Wolf saw that Lox was very thinly 
clad, so he turned to the youngest Wolf and 
said: 

"Spread your tail over Mkster Lox, so that 
he will not be cold." 

So the young Wolf did. The rocks snapped 
and split with the cold, but Master Lox was 
very comfortable. 

The next morning Lox told the Wolves that 
he must start on his long journey across the 
cold country. The Wolf -chief said: 

"Uncle, you have a hard journey before you. 

NOTE — You have read how the Mischief Maker, 
Lox, played a trick on poor Mistress Bear. In 
this story you will see how Lox was fooled him- 
self. 



49 



50 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



There will be no one to offer you a fire to keep 
you warm, or a blanket for your bed. Let me 
give you a charm that has never failed us. It 
will give you fire for three Nights. I cannot 
promise you more, but that will last you until 
you come to the end of your journey. Now 
listen and don't lose a word. First gather 
some dry sticks. Second, place these sticks to- 
gether in the form of a wigwam. Then step 
hack three paces, two long and one short. Then 
jump over your wigwam. We have never failed 
to get fire that way. You are the first one out- 
side our family we have ever told. Now re- 
member all I have said." 

Lox was ready to promise all this. He was 
glad he would be kept warm. As he walked on 
and on through the biting cold, he wondered if 
what the Wolf had said was true. He was al- 
ways playing tricks on others so no wonder he 
expected others to play tricks on him. At last 
he said to himself: 

"Master Lox, we will try it. If the Wolf- 
Chief has deceived us, we will go back and 
tear down his kingdom." 

Lox gathered the sticks and placed them as 
the Wolf had told him. Then he stepped back 
two long steps and one short one. He leaped 
clumsily over the wigwam. Can you imagine 
how surprised he was when he saw a little flame 
shoot up ? The sticks blazed merrily. He was 



HOW LOX PLAYED WITH FIRE 



51 



soon warming his fingers and toes by the fire. 
This pleased him greatly. He had better cour- 
age to go on his way. 

Now, although Lox was very wise in some 
things, he was just as foolish in others. So 
when the cold began to bite him again he v 
thought how nice it would be to make another 
wigwam of sticks. Efe should not have done 
this, for he had just enough fire for three Days. 
But he made the fire and was again warming 
himself by a good blaze. 

No matter if three cold nights were before 
him, he was comfortable then. That is the way 
with some people. If they are comfortable 
they do not think anything about tomorrow. 

When the Sun began to sink low and the 
wind blew harder than before he thought of 
building his fire again. He did not think that 
it might be colder during the long Night. 

"Surely it will be warmer before the Sun 
sets," he said to himself. "I remember that 
grandmother used to say that little ragged 
cloud's like those mean we will have warmer 
weather. Or was it colder ? I have forgotten 
which. No, I am sure it was warmer. What 
else were clouds put in the sky for ? If I had 
my say they should be the sign of warmth, like 
putting on a great cloak." 

So the foolish Master Lox built his third fire. 
He had a good time while that burned. But 



52 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



soon it became cold and he had to move on to 
keep warm. By the time the Sun had set it 
was much colder. Master Lox had guessed 
wrong. His three fires were all used. 

"What has served me so well must serve me 
again," said Lox. He really needed a fire now. 

He piled the sticks of wood for another fire. 
He jumped over them. At first a tiny wreath 
of smoke rose from the pile, but no fire fol- 
lowed. Again he jumped over the sticks. 
Again he saw a tiny bit of smoke. But there 
was no fire. He did this again and again. 
Now he jumped forward, now backward, back 
and forth over the pile of dry sticks. 

By this time he was very angry. He de- 
clared he would never rest until the fagots 
burned. The wind swept over the plain fiercer 
than ever. It chilled him to the very bone. 
Still he jumped to and fro, but not a spark of 
fire could he make. 

He must have seen how very unwise he had 
been. But it was too late now. He must have 
fire or he would freeze. His limbs soon be- 
came very numb with the cold. His strength 
was gone, so he could no longer jump over the 
little wigwam he had buillt. He stumbled and 
fell. 

There he laid all Night. He had been frozen 
through his own foolishness. But that was not 
the last of him. The Evil in him left his body 



HOW LOX PLAYED WITH FIRE 



513 



and scattered all about. It entered the bodies 
of men. So we find the bad mixed with the 
good in all. It did not enter all alike, for 
those who were awake got more than their 
share. Those who were asleep did not get so 
much. This explains how some have more evil 
in them than others. 



The Star Maid Who Became a Lily 



One evening a young brave was returning 
from the Hunt. He heard a voice that startled 
him. 

"Be not afraid, young brave. I come in 
peace." 

"Who are you? You are so strange and 
beautiful. Where do you live ?" asked the war- 
rior. He stood dumb with wonder. 

"I am the Star from the South. I have come 
very far. I live in the Great Sky Wigwam. 
Many Star People live there. I have many 
sisters and brothers. Do you see that wondrous 
Star at eventide? That is one of my sisters. 
She shines in the West. The beautiful Star 
of the East is another sister. Ah, yes, there 
are many beautiful people in my homeland." 

"But why do you come here?" spoke the 
brave. He was not so frightened now. 

The Star said: "I have always wanted to 
see and talk with the people on Earth. I have 
often wished I might visit the Earth. My 
brother is the big North Star. He keeps guard 
over me. He is away on a Hunt. I stole 
away and came to the Earth. I must hurry 
back before he finds I am gone." 

"You are very beautiful, Star Maiden," he 
said. 



54 



STAR MAID WHO BECAME A LILY 



55 



"And you. I have watched you Night after 
Night as you have slept. You have won my 
heart. It is my wish to he ever near you." 

"You shall have your wish, 0 most beauti- 
ful of all Maidens!" 

"Hear what I have to say before you make 
any promises/' she said. "I must be changed 
to something on Earth. What shall it be? 
Have four of your Wise Men say what form 
I shall take. 

"But see that bright streak that shoots across 
the Sky! It is my brother. He is coming 
from the Hunt. I cannot stay any longer. He 
must not know that I came to Earth. When 
the new Moon shines again I will meet you here. 
I shall then learn what form I may take on 
Earth." 

He turned to speak to her. She was gone. 
He saw a big bird raise itself on fiery wings. 
Like a flash it flew to the Southern Skies. He 
knew that it was she. And look! The beau- 
tiful Star has reached her home. She is shin- 
ing once more. She is smiling to him. 

The brave told the other warriors how he 
had met the Star Maid. They must decide 
what she should become. They thought and 
thought. There was nothing beautiful enough. 
Some said she must be a bird. Others said 
she should be a wild-rose or a daisy. Still they 
could not decide. 



06 



INDIAN STORY HOUR. 



The new Moon came again. The young 
brave went to meet the Star Maid. Four Wise 
Men went with him. They saw her bright 
wings flashing from afar. She came nearer and 
nearer. She looked very lovely. Soon she 
reached the earth. 

She smiled and said: "You cannot decide 
what form I shall take. I will choose for my- 
self. I will live where I may see your canoes 
gliding over the water. I will gladden your 
games. Little children shall gather me. I will 
kiss their brows. I shall be near the young 
brave whom I love." 

She looked at the young brave. Then she 
floated softly down upon the sparkling water. 
The warriors went back to their wigwams. They 
missed the beautiful watcher in the Skies. 
They were sorry. And the Sky People were 
sorry, too. Her brother said he would never 
hunt again. Her sisters looked and looked for 
her. But they could not find her. 

The next morning the warriors went to the 
water's edge. What a sight met their eyes! 
What do you think they saw? There were 
many beautiful flowers. They were fair and 
sweet. The warriors had never seen such blos- 
soms before. In each one they saw the beauti- 
ful Star Maid. They were glad. 

They named the flower Ah-wa-ge-groon-na. 
What kind of a flower do you think it was ? I 



STAK MAID WHO BECAME A LILY 57 

will tell you. It was tlie pure white Water 
Lily. Did you ever gather any? When yon 
do, remember this pretty story about the Star 
Maiden. The Indian children liked to hear it 
so much. 



Why the Call of the Loon is Sad 



The call of the Loon is always sad. But it 
was not so once. Then he was a great talker. 
But his talk proved his undoing. In that age 
he was King of all the birds. He could fly 
farther than the Eagle. He could fly faster 
than the Hawk. He could talk faster than the 
Crow. He could scold more than the Jay. 
When he blew his trumpet, no other bird could 
be heard. 

As Sehunk, the Loon, was ruler of the 
creatures of the air, the Great Spirit would 
talk to him. He would tell the Loon his 
plans. So all the birds were pleased to have 
the Loon bring them messages. But sometimes 
the Loon would tell these plans in such a loud 
tone, the animals could hear. The Great 
Spirit did not like this. But Sehunk, the Loon, 
had another habit that troubled the Great 
Spirit more than this. 

The Loon wanted to do all the talking him- 
self! When the Great Spirit began to tell 
him something, the Loon would break in. This, 
as you can see, was very impolite. But the 
Great Spirit was very patient with him. I 
suppose at last he could stand it no longer. 

The last time the Loon talked with the Great 
Spirit he must have talked faster and louder 



58 



WHY THE CALL OF THE LOON IS SAD 50 

than ever. When the Great Spirit had tried 
far into the night to say a few words, he be- 
came very angry. He stole away without try- 
ing to tell the Loon he was going! So the 
Loon talked on till it was daylight. 

As soon as it was light he found he was 
alone ! The Great Spirit had left him without 
so much as asking his leave. He was angry. 
But he had no one to shout his anger to, so he 
spread his big wings and sailed away through 
the sea of space to his home. 

To his surprise, his mate was not at home to 
welcome him. But that was a small matter. 
As he had done many times before, he lifted 
high his trumpet, to send far and wide one of 
his mighty calls. This had been a call no bird 
or creature had ever dared to deny. To his 
dismay, only a dismal wail left his throat ! He 
tried again. Again he failed ! 

He knew then the Great Spirit was angry 
with him. He knew he was no longer King 
of the birds. 

"The Great Spirit will give me back my 
trumpet," he thought. "I have only to show 
him no one is as mighty as I am. I will send 
my mate with the message. She always comes 
back with a kind word. I never knew before 
I was so dependent upon her.'' 

So the Loon sought for his mate. He flew 
high. Hte flew low. He flew far. But fly 
where he would he could not find her! 



60 



INDIAN STORY HOUE 



The saucy Jay told him an Evil Spirit had 
taken her away in the Night! 

The Loon had all the time been calling in a 
sad voice for her to come back. But it was 
not the voice with which he had called her so 
many times before. Then the Hawk, the 
Eagle, the Crow, aye, even the little Cuckoo 
would stop and listen to him. Now no one paid 
any heed to him ! The scream of the Hawk 
rang through all the sky. The shriek of the 
Eagle was echoed back from the distant moun- 
tain. The piping of the Jay, which had been 
beneath his notice before, rang clear and defi- 
ant. His own cry died away in the murmur- 
ing of the river. He had lost his trumpet. 
He was no longer King. 

So Sehunk hunted Cloud Land over and over 
to find his lost mate. His only answer was 
the mournful echo of his own call. Since that 
far-away day many Loons have come and gone. 
And every one has taken up that mournful cry, 
as a token of their downfall. 



The Star of the North 



A family of five brothers and a sister lived 
by the Rocking Shore. The sister was the 
fairest Maid in all the country. The brothers 
loved her dearly. 

Farther JSTorth there also lived a people of 
great size and strength, who were called the 
Giants of the ^orth. These Giants delighted 
to raid the homes of the others. They carried 
off many captives. Most of their victims were 
young and beautiful. The people along the 
Rocking Shore stood in great fear of these 
Giants. 

It came about that these brothers wanted to 
go on the great Fall Hunt but were afraid to 
leave their sister alone. One of them must stay 
and protect her from the Giants. It was de- 
cided that the youngest, Pegasco, should stay 
at home. 

He did not want to. He did not believe any 
harm could come to her. So after the others 
started he got a boy to stay with her and started 
off on a hunt all by himself. He meant to be 
back before the others did. 

NOTE — Another Micmac legend. The Indians 
believed the Sun and Moon were older than the 
Earth, but the Stars were younger. These were 
supposed to have been mortals, men, animals or 
birds given a dwelling-place in the sky in return 
for some good or famous 1 deed done here. 



61 



62 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



He had not been gone long before bis sister 
saw a man's bead above tbe tree tops of the 
forest. At first sbe thought he had climbed one 
of the trees to look down upon her. But no, 
he was one of those terrible Giants of the North. 
He was taller than the trees ! 

She ran to the boy. He was asleep on a pile 
of skins. Before she could awaken him the 
Giant took her in his big arms and carried her 
away. He took her to his ice-palace far to the 
North. He liked her because she was beauti- 
ful. He Was very kind to her. She would 
have been cold but he wrapped his heavy robe 
around her. 

The Giant was very fierce-looking, but he was 
good to her. She liked him and wanted to 
stay. 

When her brother found that she had been 
stolen he was very sorry because he had not 
taken better care of her. He said he never 
would rest until he had saved her. 

So before his brothers came back he started 
off to find his sister. He fairly flew, Night 
and Day, and got there soon after the Giant. 
Now he knew that the Giant would know him 
as her brother, so he took great caution. He 
changed himself into a White Bear. 

His sister saw him and knew that he had 
come after her. She ran away, for she did 
not want to go back with him. He saw that 



THE STAR OF THE NORTH 



63 



lie must take her by force if she returned home 
with him. 

tie did not dare to meet his brothers: with- 
out taking her home. So he must think of 
some way to get her away from the Giant. 

Now this young brave was a great musician. 
When he played on his favorite reed he could 
charm great warriors to sleep. 

He entered the great ice-palace. He was met 
by the Giant himself. The Giant knew him, 
but did not say so. 

"Who is this who comes to my dwelling 
without being asked?" 

"A tired traveler from the South who would 
like a Night's lodging." 

The Giant smiled, but the young brave did 
not know what for. He did not think that a 
Night was a whole season long. Then the Giant 
said : 

''You are welcome to tarry for the Night, 
though it be a season long. Come in and eat. 
Then you may have a couch, where you may 
sleep long." 

Now the brave thought that the Giant meant 
he was going to kill him while he slept. He 
said : 

"You are very kind. In the sunny South- 
land I am known as a great musician. I play 
every eve to the Spirits of the Dying Day." 
He said this very boastfully. 

"Play your reed songs, Brother of the South- 



64 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



land/' said the Giant. "I snail be nappy if 
they put me to sleep. I have not closed my 
eyes for a long time." 

Pegasco gladly got his reed. He began his 
sweetest melody. He threw his whole soul into 
the music, for he hoped to put the Giant to 
sleep. Then he could take his sister back to 
the Rocking Shore. He could hear his sister 
drawing near to listen to his song. He thought 
perhaps if he should play some song she had 
liked that she would think of her home and go 
back with him. 

So he played on and on. Very soon the big 
eyes of the Giant began to wink and blink. 
Then he stretched out at full length on the floor. 
He rolled himself in his heavy robe. He seemed 
to be asleep. 

Pegasco did not think the Giant was asleep. 
He could see two bright spots under the Giant's 
lids. 

Every minute Pegasco thought the Giant 
would go to sleep. He played until he became 
very tired. He grew sleepy himself. Still the 
Giant's eyes looked very bright. At last Pe- 
gasco fell asleep. 

Now the Giant had really been asleep but 
he had put some firewood under his eyelids to 
make Pegasco think he was not. 

When he awoke he found Pegasco asleep. 
He took him in his strong arms and carried 
him to a high rock, where he was going to 
throw him over. 



THE STAR OF THE NORTH 



65 



Pegasco had a bad dream while the Giant 
was carrying him. He awoke. You can 
imagine how surprised he must have been ! At 
first he was very much frightened. But he 
was very brave and thought quickly. The 
Giant thought he was asleep so did not hold 
him very tight. Pegasco leaped quickly from 
the Giant's arms and tripped him with his reed. 
Before the Giant could get up, Pegasco pushed 
him over the cliff. 

He hurried back to the ice-palace to get his 
sister. She did not want to go back to her home. 
But after much teasing she went. She felt 
very bad because the Giant had been killed. 

Now her other brothers had returned from 
the hunt. The boy had told them how the 
Giant had stolen her and how Pegasco had 
gone after her. They started out also. 

Many Days went by and she did not hear 
from them. She felt very bad. She missed 
the Giant, too. Nothing that could be said or 
done would make her happy. 

One evening Pegasco saw a Star of unusual 
brightness in the North. He wondered what 
it was. When he returned he found that his 
sister was not there. He knew that she had 
fled to the North and had taken the form of a 
new Star. The Giants live no more. The Star 
still shines over the frozen seas. The Red Men 
still tell the story of the stolen Maid. 



First Maple Sugar 



The Bed Men loved the Maple. They drank 
the sap from this tree. But no one knew the 
delicious beverage could be made thicker and 
sweeter. 

Moqua, the squaw of a mighty hunter, Wok- 
sis, found this out, Woksis was going on a 
long Hunt. Before he went he gave her a big 
piece of meat, saying : 

"Oook this well. But have it ready for 
Woksis when he comes back. Let it be tender." 

He knew Moqua would cook the meat to suit 
him. None of the other Squaws kept their wig- 
wams as well as Moqua. 

Woksis stood a stick in the snow. He made 
a line straight out from the stick in the snow. 
This meant that when the shadow of the Sun 
should get to this line, he would be back. 

So he started on his Hunt. Moqua went 
about her work. She melted snow to cook the 
meat in. When it boiled she dropped in the 
juicy steak. 

Moqua was always busy. So while the ves- 
sel was steaming over the fire, she sat down to 
do some beadwork. She was making some new 
moccasins for Woksis. 

She quite forgot the meat. By and by she 
heard a loud snap. Then she heard the dish 



6G 




From a drawing by Frank Holland 

MO QUA POURED THE SAP INTO THE KETTLE. 



FIRST MAPLE SUGAR 



6? 



fall into the fire. Woksis' dinner was spilled 
in the flames. The kettle was broken. The 
water had nan all over the fire. The fire sput- 
tered. 

Moqua soon mended the vessel. But the 
shadow was nearly around to the line Woksis 
had drawn. She did not have time to melt 
more snow. She must finish cooking the meat 
before he returned. She saw a bucket of sap 
near the big Maple. She had kept it to drink. 
She said to herself: 

" Woksis will not care if I take that to cook 
his dinner. The Maple will send him more." 

So Moqua poured the sap into the dish. 
Soon it was boiling as any water would do. 

When Woksis came back he found his dinner 
was ready. The old Maple had given him 
plenty more sap to drink. He was very hungry. 
He had walked far. He was pleased that 
Moqua kept his wigwam so well. Woksis 
began to eat. 

Moqua was pleased. But Woksis stopped 
eating. Moqua was afraid something was 
wrong. Then Woksis took up a small piece of 
meat. He licked it with his tongue. He 
smacked his lips. 

"This is the sweetest meat I ever tasted. I 
have always said you were the best of cooks. 
But today you have done better than ever. 
How did you do it V 



68 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



u Is it so bad you cannot eat it?" she asked. 
"No. It is very good. What did you put 
on it?" 

Moqua looked at it. She saw that there 
was something that looked like yellow sand on 
it. She saw that Woksis liked it. She was 
very pleased. 

Of course you know what Moqua thought was 
yellow sand was Maple Sugar. 

It was some time before Moqua knew the 
truth. Then she thought of the sap she had 
used to cook the meat with instead of water. 
She boiled more sap and was delighted when 
it changed into sweet yellow chunks. This 
was how the Red Men learned to make Maple 
Sugar. It has been a favorite dish with them 
ever since. 



The Boy Who Became a Wolf 

\ 

Nebosah was the son of a great Ohief. But 
lie was not satisfied. He had heard much 
about his father's great deeds. He wanted to 
hear about himself. At last the chance came 
his way. 

He was sitting by a rock waiting for his fa- 
ther. His father had gone to chase a big 
Moose. An old Wolf came up to ^Nebosah. 

"Why are you so sad, Young Man?" asked 
the Wolf. 

Now it pleased JSTebosah very much to be 
called a "Young Man." 

"I am sad because I have nothing to do," 
answered the boy. 

"Let me change you into a Wolf. ~No Wolf 
is ever idle. We hunt all night long. We rest 
by day. Even now 1 am looking up new Game 
lands. 

"Can you change me into a big Wolf V asked 
Nebosah, eagerly. 

"I am Manabizo, the mighty Magician," re- 
plied the Wolf, proudly. 

"Then change me into a Wolf. He must be 
a big one." 

The Wolf said something in Wolf language. 
He shook his paws in Nebosah's face. Then 
he said: 



69 



70 



INDIAN STOET HOUE 



"It is done!" 

JSTebosah seemed to awake from a sleep. He 
found he had been changed to a Wolf ! 

He could hear all kinds of sounds. There 
came the voices of half a dozen Wolves. They 
were biting and quarreling among themselves. 

"My children are glad to see you," said the 
old Wolf. 

The young Wolves rushed around him. They 
almost pushed him off his feet. 

He saw that he was the size of a common 
Wolf. 

"Make me larger/' he said. 

The old Wolf did so. 

"Larger still!" cried the Boy Wolf. 

The old Magician did not like to do this. 
But his sons said : 

"Do it, father; then we can run faster than 
he." 

So Nebosah found himself still larger. 

"Now my tail is too short. Please make it 
more bushy." 

This was done. He saw himself in a pool 
of water. He was very pleased. 

"Now for a race in the valley !" shouted one 
of the young Wolves. 

Away they scampered. Nebosah was a Wolf 
now. He knew that he must join in the sport. 
But he soon fell behind. He had to give up 
the race. 



BOY WHO BECAME A WOLF 



71 



"You're too fat," declared the Wolf. And 
lie chuckled. 

"My legs are too short/' panted Nebosah. 

"Very well," and in a trice they were much 
longer. In fact they were too long for the rest 
of his body. 

"If I make you larger, you will be clumsy." 

"No, I won't. Besides, I told you I wanted 
to be a very large Wolf !" 

"I am a mighty Magician!" said the old 
Wolf, boastfully. 

JSTow ISTebosah was pleased. He was bigger 
than the old Wolf. He strutted around with 
great pride. 

The party started off up the valley. They 
did not run very fast, so he could keep up with 
them very easily. But soon they found Moose 
tracks. They were very anxious to get him. 

"He is lame," one Wolf said. "We can soon 
catch up to him." 

The young Wolves did not wait to make any 
talk. Away they went. They licked their 
chops. They thought of the great feast they 
would have. 

Again Nebosah fell behind. He trotted 
along beside the old Wolf. 

"My sons run very fast," said the old Wolf. 
"They are the fastest runners of the whole 
WoKfamily." 

"They seem to like it," said Nebosah. 



INDIAN STOB.Y HOUR 



"They do," replied the Wolf. "They are 
never satisfied unless they are racing. Who 
do you think can ran the fastest V 

"He who started off with such mighty 
bounds." said Xebosah. "He must be out of 
sight of the others by this time." 

"T see you have not been a Wolf long enough 
to know Wolf ways. He makes a good start. 
But he will be the first to get tired." 

"Then it must be the second," Xebosah said. 

"Wrong again. The one who was far behind 
will be the first to get the ^loose. He is very 
wise. He is like his father. He will not use 
all his strength in bounds that do not count." 

Xebosah said nothing. He could see the cun- 
ning old Wolf was making fun of him. He 
was a big Wolf. But he was too clumsy to 
win the race. He could not run fast. He 
could not run far without getting very tired. 

Very soon they found a bundle one of the 
other Wolves had dropped. 

'Tick it up and take it along," said the old 
Wolf. 

Xebosah saw that it was only a soiled piece 
of dog-skin. He did not want to spoil his fine 
coat. 

"Very well, I will carry it." said the Wolf. 
"You are younger than T. I thought you 
would carry it for me.' ? 

Xebosah saw the old Wolf did not like this 



BOY WHO BECAME A WOLF 



73 



very well. The Wolf picked it up. Nebosah 
was surprised to see that it was a beautiful robe. 

"I will carry it," he said. But the old 
Wolf would not let him. 

ISTebosah felt very cheap now. He walked 
on. He did not speak. 

By and by they found the young Wolves 
resting — all but the one who had started behind. 
He was' not tired. 

The old Wolf said: "They are after the 
Moose your father was following. See ! There 
is his arrow sticking in the tree. Go and take 
it out of the tree." 

Nebosah did not dare to say no. So he took 
hold of the arrow with his Wolf teeth. He 
tugged and tugged. But he could not pull it 
out of the Tree. 

The old Wolf laughed. Nebosah knew the 
Wolf was playing some trick on him. The 
Wolf tried to pull the arrow out. He had no 
trouble at all. 

"Your father is not such a great hunter after 
all. Hark! My son has caught the Moose." 

They heard a loud noise. Yes, the young 
Wolf had caught the Moose. The other 
Wolves ran as fast as they could to get some 
of the Moose meat. 

"'Let them spend their breath if they want 
to," said the old Wolf. "I can see by the 
tracks it is a very poor Moose. We will not 
hurry." 



74 



INDIAN STOEY HOTJK 



Xebosah was very hungry. But he could not 
get along good at all. Oh, how tired he was I 
He had wanted to be such a big Wolf. Xow he 
could see his mistake. He saw that the young 
Wolves were small. They could run very easily. 

They reached the spot after a while. But 
there was no Moose there. It had all been 
eaten. There were only a few bones to pick. 

"We will start for the mountains now," said 
the Wolf. 

Xebosah was already very tired. But all 
Day long he was kept going. He had no chance 
to rest. There seemed to be no end to their 
journey. Xow it was this way. Xow it was 
that way. When it was night again Xebosah 
said to himself : 

"Xow I shall have a chance to sleep." 

But the old Wolf was thinking of something 
else. 

"Up and away on the Xight's Hunt," he 
said. "There is plenty of food. We must go 
after it." 

"The Xight is for sleep," said Xebosah. 

"Only for the lazy Red Men. The Wolf 
never sleeps at Xight." 

"I am hungry," said Xebosah. 

"It is your own fault. If you had not 
wanted to be made so large you could have run 
faster. If you had run faster you could have 
had some of. the Moose meat." 



BOY WHO BECAME A WOLF 



75 



Poor Nebosah knew this was true. 

"I see plainly/ 7 said the Wolf, "you do not 
make a good Wolf. You lack everything that 
makes a good one. Perhaps you would like to 
go back to your father." 

Nebosah said he did. He promised he would 
never grumble again. The Wolf was kind to 
him now. The next Morning he found him- 
self in his fathers Wigwam. He was one of 
the happiest boys in the world. 



The Bird Girl 



Winona had few playmates, so she was left 
much alone. Still she was never lonesome. 
The animals played with her and she loved 
them. She knew what they said, and she could 
talk with them. She loved the birds, too, and 
knew their language. She could sing their 
songs and talk with them. So she was happy 
in their company. She and the birds often held 
parties in the woods. 

One Day as she was walking along the bank 
of a beautiful brook, she began to trill a sweet 
bird song. In the midst of her song, unknown 
to her, a hunter came along. He became 
anxious to see what beautiful bird it was sing- 
ing such a fairy song. So he pushed his way 
through the tangled growth very carefully, look- 
ing all the time for the singer. 

He soon found the singer, but she was not a 
bird! Nor was there any bird in sight. He 
was both puzzled and pleased. He watched 
Winona in silence until she had finished her 
song. 

Before the last note a real bird in a near-by 
tree joined in the chorus. Other birds came 
and sang, too. So the woods fairly rang with 
the melody. The listening stranger had never 
heard such singing. 



76 



THE BIRD GIEL 



77 



~Not until the last note had died away did 
the hunter dare to make himself known to 
Winona. She was startled at first. The birds 
were so frightened they flitted back into the 
woods. 

"Be not afraid, fair Maid," greeted the 
hunter, in a friendly tone. 

"I am ISTevera of the Strong Bow. I would 
not harm so sweet a singer. Sing again for 
Never a." 

Winona did not sing any more that day, but 
she talked long and kindly to the hunter. He 
belonged to a rival tribe, but she found him 
very pleasing. When the time came for them 
to part, both were loth to go. 

The next Day Winona returned to hold her 
concert with the birds, and they sang together 
more sweetly than ever. Winona knew some- 
one was listening near by. The birds did not 
know this, so both Maid and birds sang their 
best ! 

At the close of the concert in the woods Ne- 
vera visited with Winona, and both were very 
happy. 

Day after Day the maid and the hunter met, 
until they had become lovers. Day after Day 
the birds sang with Winona, until they had be- 
come bold enough to sing with Nevera present. 
Those were happy trysts to maid, warrior and 
birds. 



78 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



One sunny Afternoon, when the concert had 
lasted longer than common, a feathered songster 
suddenly circled about Winona's head, and 
lighted on her shoulder. 

Then the bird twittered something in Wi- 
nona's ean The Maid began to tremble with 
fright. 

"Flee, Xevera !" she said. "Father has been 
told of our meeting, and he is coming to kill 
you. Flee, before it is too late." 

jSTevera hesitated. He was not a coward. 

"I ask it for my sake — flee ! Father is very 
angry. He will not let me wed a common war- 
rior. He has told me I must keep the wigwam 
of an old chief." 

^evera knew if he stayed he would be put 
to death. Xot that he was afraid to die — oh, 
no! But that would only make it worse for 
Winona. So he stole away, very much ashamed, 
but determined to return some time and save 
Winona, the Bird Girl, as he had come to call 
her. 

So Winona and !N"evera parted, and the birds, 
glad the warrior had escaped harm, sang 
louder and sweeter than ever. 

But the Moon grew thin and plump and thin 
again without any message from Xevera. 
Lonely now, in her grief, forgetting her feath- 
ered friends, Winona would sit hour after hour 
by the river bank, plaiting her hair or braiding 



THE BIRD GIRL 



79 



the flowers she had plucked in her thoughtless 
humor. 

The birds missed her voice when they sang 
their matin songs, so they became sad, too. 
They sang together less and less, so a great si- 
lence fell upon the woods. 

Winona noticed this at last, and wondered 
what it meant. The people about the lodges 
noticed it, and asked among themselves if the 
birds had all moved away. 

As Winona's Wedding Day with the old 
chief drew near, she remained in her lodge. 

She was very lonesome. Her coming wed- 
ding made her very sad. She still had faith in 
Nevera. Would he come in time to save her ? 
Her head told her "No." Her heart said, 
"Yes— yes." 

While she listened to these still, small voices, 
one of her little bird friends came and sat in 
her lap. She remembered him. lie was the 
leader of the forest choir with which she had 
sung so many times. He had not come to her 
since she had been lonely. She knew it was 
partly her fault. Now he looked up into her 
face cheerfully, and he began to sing. And this 
was the message of his song: 

"Don't marry the old Chief now! Don't 
marry the old Chief now!" 

Winona smiled. She looked very beautiful. 
She stroked the bright plumage of the singer. 



so 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



This made him more light-hearted, so he sang 
merrily : 

"Put him off! Put him off!" 

Very soon Winona, the Sunshine again in her 
heart, sang with the bird. So they had a nice 
little concert by themselves. 

Again, as the Daylight was made a captive 
in the arms of Night, the little bird came and 
sang to Winona. Other birds came with him 
now. After he had sung his solo, which ran — 
"Waiting is not long. Bide your time — " all 
sang together, very happy. It was the sweetest 
concert they had ever held. 

And these concerts were kept up, while the 
Moon grew plump again. While Winona did 
not know the reason why, she had become her 
old self. Her father, thinking she had forgot- 
ten her warrior lover, was pleased. He said 
to the impatient old chief: 

"The child is herself again. The waiting 
of a Moon will not matter. It is only a wom- 
an's whim. Better please her." 

Again Winona sat in her lodge door, listen- 
ing for the first note of her bird friend. She 
had not to wait long. Up from the dim old 
forest came the sweet notes : 

"Waiting has its reward!" 

Other singers joined in the chorus, until the 
woods were made merry with the song. 
Listen ! what other sound is that ? Chiefs and 



THE BIRD GIRL 



81 



warriors are agog! A long line of warriors — 
strange warriors — are marching into the vil- 
lage ! At the head leads Nevera ! But he car- 
ries a token of peace, and no one is alarmed. 
A herald then announces the coming of a great 
Chief. 

Preparations for a feast are made. The 
Wise Men get together. At the council the 
prowess of Nevera on a recent war-trail is told 
— deeds of heroism which have made him a 
chief greater than even Winona's father! 

Winona was sent for, and the festival was 
made more merry by a. wedding. It was such 
a wedding as had not been known among the 
oldest of the Medicine Men. 

Of course Winona was happy. So was Ne- 
vera, who had so gallantly won him a wife. 
So were the birds. So was everybody, except 
the disappointed old chief. 

When Winona went to her new lodge, her 
bird friends went with her. A Day was never 
finished right which did not witness one of 
their concerts. Often the chief delighted to 
join in these songs. So their hearts were ever 
kept young. For the heart with music in it is 
always young. 



What His Vanity Cost the Crow 



When the Red Man first saw the Crow he 
was as white as snow. He was very proud of 
his white jacket. He delighted to strut back 
and forth before the other birds to show his 
beautiful plumage. So you see he was very, 
very vain. 

The other birds became tired 1 of this display 
of pride. So they put their heads together to 
see what could be done to humble the Crow. 

"We will catch him and sift ashes over 
him," said the gray woodpecker. 

"Let him strut in his white feathers," said 
the Robin. "I am more tired of his singing. 
He won't let me have a moment to try any of 
my new songs. " 

The Crow was a fine singer. He was also 
very vain of his voice. So you see Mr. Crow 
was doubly fortunate. And he seemed deter- 
mined to make it doubly unpleasant for his 
companions. 

"I can't sing three notes before he will start 
in and drown the sound of my voice," declared 
the Wren. "Did you ever see such a hateful 
thing?" 

"Yes," said the Jay. "Even when we all 
join for a good sing, he will pitch his key so 
high we cannot be heard. But that white coat 



8£ 



WHAT HIS VANITY COST THE CROW 83 

is worse to me than his voice. I cannot see 
that he is such a wonderful singer." 

The truth was the Jay thought he was the 
best singer. What troubled him most was the 
white coat the Crow wore every day. You see, 
the Jay was very proud of his blue cap and 
jacket. 

So plans were talked of to humble the Crow. 
I think the plan finally tried was that of the 
Jay. It sounds like him anyway. It was for 
the Blackbird to try a race through the air 
with the Crow. The Crow was to win this 
race. Then the Blackbird was to get the Crow 
to run a race with him on the ground. One 
of the conditions of this race was that it should 
lead through a pile of brush. This brush was 
to be smeared with charcoal. So Mr. Crow 
should be anything but white when he came 
through. 

The Blackbird did not want to do this. 

"Run the race youself," he said to the Jay. 

"Me, run a race ? My feet are too big ! I 
would tumble down. We would all be in dis- 
grace. You are the fastest runner of us all. 
I saw you run this morning, and you did run 
beautifully. Besides, you are black to begin 
with, and such a race could not soil your coat." 

"But my beautiful red wing pieces !" pro- 
tested the Blackbird. 

"Oh, you can cover them over with your 



84 



IXDIAX STOEY HOUR 



wings. You are the only one who can win the 
race." 

The other birds joined in with the Jay, so the 
Blackbird consented. Without thinking of any 
mischief, the Crow agreed to enter the race. 
He soon flew far ahead of the Blackbird, and 
won that trial easily. 

Proud of the victory he had already won, 
he was ready to run a race with the Blackbird 
on the ground. This was a woeful race for 
him. The nimble-footed Blackbird ran through 
the brush, as had been planned. The Crow had 
to follow, or give up in disgrace. It would 
have been better if he had given up. He was 
the sorriest-looking bird you could think of 
when he came out of that brush. There wasn't 
a white feather on his body ! 

Pretending to help him clean his coat, the 
other birds daubed the poor Crow with pitch, 
black clay and everything black, until he was 
a pitiful object. He stood out in the rain all 
night, but it did no good. To this day the 
Crow has been black. 

This loss would have broken the heart of 
almost any other bird. But the Crow had a 
stout heart. If he had lost his white plumage, 
he had still his wonderful voice. Now he sang 
more than ever! 

The other birds were glad when it was time 
for them to fly away to the Southland for the 
winter. He laughed with glee. 



WHAT HIS VANITY COST THE CROW 8'5 

"You can go if you want to. I am going to 
stay here and sing the cold away. I shall have 
the woods all to myself." 

So, while his companions flew away to a 
warmer clime, he stayed behind. After a time 
he became tired of singing to himself, so he 
sang to the animals. For a time they listened 
gladly, but by and by what had been a pleasure 
became a hardship. They asked the Crow to 
stop, but the impish old fellow only sang louder. 

The animals stood it as long as they could. 
Then they took their case to the Great Spirit. 
Now, the Great Spirit had become angry with 
Mr. Crow. He told the animals to wait and 
see what might happen. 

As the winter nights grew longer the cold 
became more bitter. Huddled up in his warm 
corner, the Crow did not mind this for a time, 
but presently he began to shiver. Still he 
sang and sang, until he had caught a bad cold. 
He became very hoarse. But he would not give 
up his singing. 

"My throat will soon clear," he thought. 

But the longer he sang the hoarser he became. 
The hoarser he became the more difficult it 
was for him to trill his famous notes. At last 
he could make only a hoarse sound, the gruff 
"Caw — caw!" that all Crows make to this day. 
He had lost his beautiful voice forever. So 
the Crow was doubly punished for his vanity. 



86 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



But he was not robbed wholly of his pride and 
there was no bird the Bed Men respected more. 
He was both brave and cunning to a fault. 
But he was still the steadfast friend of the 
Eed Men. 



The Rabbit's Queer Errand 



In and out of the great forest flitted the big, 
bounding Rabbit and bis mate. They were 
very happy but for one thing. They had a 
beautiful daughter. She was the most beauti- 
ful of the Rabbit world. She had many ad- 
mirers who wanted to marry her. Now, her 
beauty made her very vain. So she would 
throw back her silken ears and lift high her 
giddy head and say: 

"You are not good enough for me!" 

Her parents did not know what to do. They 
tried to find someone high enough for little 
Ineola to wed. Ineola was the little Rabbit's 
name. At last her mother said: 

"I have been thinking that the Moon would 
make a good mate for Ineola. He is very- 
great. He shines so softly at Night and makes 
such pretty shadows. I am sure he is very 
wise." 

So Mister Rabbit put on his fastest pair of 
shoes-, so that they would carry him from the 
paws of the Fox and the Wolf. He waited 

NOTE — Among the animal myths the rabbit 
figures frequently, and usually as a deceiver and 
plotter against the peace of others. The moral of 
the above tale is clearly indicated and shows him 
in his true character as an ambitious schemer. 
The Indians applied the masculine gender to the 
Moon and the feminine to the Sun. 



87 



88 



INDIAN STOEY HOUR 



until the Moon came to rest on the Mountain. 
Then he started off to have a talk: with him. 
He told the Moon about little Ineola and how 
she must wed somebody who was great. But 
the Moon said: 

"You think I am great, but I am not. I 
shine very bright, it is true, but the Cloud 
darkens my eye. Go to the Cloud. The Cloud 
is greater than I am." 

Then Mister Rabbit went to the Cloud. He 
told the Cloud that Ineola must wed the mighti- 
est thing on Earth or in the Sky. But the 
Cloud replied : 

"For many Moons I have tried to veil the 
Moon so that the World would be in darkness. 
Then I could rule over all. But every time 
the Wind comes and scatters me far and wide. 
Go to the Wind. The Wind is greater than I 
am." 

Mister Rabbit thought he was on the right 
path this time. So he hurried off to the Wind. 
The Wind laughed when he heard the Rabbit's 
story. 

"I, the mightiest thing on Earth or in the 
Sky? Ha! Ha! Ha! That is too good to be 
true. I can carry the leaf far from its stem, 
but that is nothing. I shake big trees till they 
tremble from head to foot. But that is noth- 
ing. Listen! For many years I have flung 




From a drawing by Frank Holland 

MASTER RABBIT HAS A TALK WITH THE MOON. 



THE RABBIT'S QUEER ERRAND 



89 



myself against that big Rock. But I am al- 
ways stopped. I beat my wings against its 
sides until I am tired. I fall asleep and tbe 
Rock still remains. Go to tbe Rock. Tbe 
Rock is migbtier tban I am." 

Mister Rabbit was beginning to lose courage 
now. But be went to tbe Rock and told bis 
story. Tbe Rock made reply: 

"You are mistaken if you tbink I am tbe 
mightiest. It is true I have stood here a long, 
long time It is because I am chained here. 
I am a captive. I have faced many storms. 
I have defied the Wind. I have shivered the 
arrows of the Red Men. But I am only a 
captive. No captive can be great. If you 
would have your daughter wed the best, go 
among her kind. Only yesterday she played 
hide- and-seek on my brow. She laughed at my 
helplessness. She was free! I am not. Tbe 
Fox cam--} and she left him far behind. The 
Bear could not catch her. Let her wed among 
her people. She will be a Queen — free and 
happy." 

At last the Rabbit saw tbe truth. He went 
back to his home satisfied. He told little Ine- 
ola all he had seen and heard. She could see 
her folly, so she wed one of her own kind 
arjd was happy. 



A Strange Game of Ball 



The favorite pastime among the Red Men 
was ball-playing. Sometimes games would be 
played between rival tribes. More often the 
warriors of a tribe would choose sides. The 
players became very earnest at times. Single 
warriors would often play against each other, 
to the great amusement of the spectators. Some 
of the Eed Men were very skillful in playing. 

But this sport was not always confined to 
the men. The animals imitated the men. 
Some of the animals could play amazing games. 
The birds imitated the animals and played re- 
markable games. So there was intense rivalry 
among the three classes. 

The Bear was the Captain of the animals. 
Now, the Bear was the biggest boaster among 
all the animals. To have heard him talk you 
would have thought the warriors were not a 
match for his league. 

The Eagle was the Captain of the birds. 
What the Eagle could not think to say was not 
worth saying. So the two great leagues of ball 
players hurled boastful claims against each 
other. The result was what might have been 
expected. The two great clans prepared to meet 
in a game of ball that should show who was 
master. 



90 



STRANGE GAME OF BALL 



91 



A smooth, grassy plot lying along the bank 
of a river was selected for the ball-ground of the 
animals. The birds were to play in the tree- 
tops overhead. It was to be a famous game. 
It was to be the most wonderful game of ball 
ever played ! 

The animals felt certain of victory. To show 
how he would toss the birds into the air when 
they came near him, the Bear threw big logs 
into the air. Another animal that promised 
to do wonderful things was the Turtle. The 
Turtle was then a mighty animal. His shell 
was so hard he could throw himself upon the 
ground so as to dent the earth. He could crush 
any bird that came his way. The Deer was 
another great player. He could outrun every 
other animal. So, you see, the Bear was Cap- 
tain of a wonderful ball company. 

The Eagle, Captain of the Birds, had a good 
second in the Hawk. But, to speak the truth, 
he was not confident of winning. His players 
were mostly little fellows. Anyone could see 
it was not so easy to keep the ball in the air 
as it was on the ground. But the birds were 
brave and were not inclined to give up the bat- 
tle before it was fought. 

So the rivals waited for the signal from the 
Tox to start the game. While they waited, 
two tiny creatures climbed to where the Eagle 
was proudly waiting to begin the game. 



92 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



"Please, Captain Eagle/' piped one of the 
newcomers, "we want to play with you in this 
game." 

The Eagle looked down upon the speaker and 
his companion, no larger than field mice. He 
saw they had four feet. 

"Why don't you play with the animals ? No 
doubt the big Bear would be glad of your help." 

"The Bear won't let us play with his com- 
pany. We are too small. He laughed at us." 

"But you are not birds." 

"Please make us into birds." 

The birds pitied the little beggars. So they 
talked among themselves to see what could be 
done. 

"Let us put wings on them," said the Hawk 
"They are too small to do much mischief, even 
if they can't do any good.' 

The Partridge brought a piece of the 
Ground Hog skin, which made the head of his 
drum. These two pieces of the drum-head were 
cut into the shape of wings. These wings were 
fastened to the forelegs of one of the tiny fel- 
lows. He began to fly about in a surprising 
manner. He was the first Bat. 

When the ball was thrown to the Bat he could 
dodge it or catch it, as suited his fancy. In 
this way he could keep it in the air a longer 
time than any of the birds. Captain Eagle was 
pleased. 

There was no leather left to make wings for 



STEANGE GAME OF BALL 



93 



the other mouse. And they had no time to 
send for more. 

"One of you take hold of his skin on one 
side. I will take hold on the other/' said the 
cunning J ay. "In that way we can stretch him 
a pair of wings." 

So the Jay and the Robin pulled with their 
sharp bills the skin between the fore and hind 
feet until, lo ! the Flying Squirrel flew into the 
next tree. 

Then the Eagle tossed him the ball. The 
Flying Squirrel caught this between his teeth. 
He sprang from tree to tree, until he had car- 
ried it through the air to the edge of the for- 
est and back. 

Then the game was called. It would have 
done you good to see that game! How the 
birds skipped through the tree-tops! Now the 
Jay caught the ball and flew with it into a tall 
Pine. The Robin caught it when it slipped 
from the Jay's bill. The Wren seized upon the 
ball, and the way he skurried through the trees 
made the big, clumsy Eagle dizzy. The battle 
does not always belong to the big. 

When the ball slipped from the beak of the 
Hawk and began to fall, the Flying Squirrel 
dropped himself from his perch in season to 
stop the ball. This was an amazing feat. Pois- 
ing himself on the tip of a branch, the Flying 
Squirrel threw the ball to the Jay. The Jay 
sent it to the Wren. This time the Eagle 



94 



INDIAN STOEY HOUJ* 



caught the ball in his powerful claws. He 
threw it to the Wood Pecker with such force 
that this bird was hurled backward and barely 
saved himself from falling to the ground. 

The Bear saw the ball coming towards him 
and stood ready to grab it. 

"Let me get my big paws on it and there 
aren't birds enough in the woods to get it away 
from me !" 

Feeling he had lost the game, the Eagle stood 
still with fright. 

But there was one little bird player no one 
had counted on. 

Just as the Bear was about to grab the ball, 
the Martin flew in between his paws and caught 
it. He could not escape from the Bear with 
it, so he threw it to the Bat. 

Other animals now joined in the game, and 
a lively time followed. 'Now flying between 
the legs of the Deer, to alight on the back of the 
Turtle, the Bat dodged to and fro. At last he 
threw it in between the posts, and so won the 
game for the birds. 

So ended the great ball game between the ani- 
mals and the birds. The boastful Bear slunk 
away in disgrace, while over his head the birds 
sang merrily of their victory. 

For pulling the ball out of the Bear's paws, 
when it dropped, the Martin was given a gourd 
in which to build a nest. He has kept this to 
the present day. 



The Boy Scout 



An old woman and her grandson dwelt at the 
edge of a great Forest. The boy was very- 
bright and loved his grandmother. But he 
longed to go deeper into the forest than she 
was willing. The woods on the West were 
deeper and darker than those on the East. But 
she would always say to him: 

"Never ^go West, my grandson. Always go 
to the East." 

"The other boys go to the West, grand- 
mother. They get more game than I do." 

"It is because they are older than you, my 
grandson. Will you promise to go to the 
East?" 

"I promise today, grandmother. But when 
I am a man I am going West." 

She shook her head but said no more then. 

He could not keep his mind off the great 
dark West. It seemed to charm him. He asked 
his grandmother so many times about it she 
finally told him: 

"An enemy to us lives in the West. Should 
he see you he would send Evil upon us. All 
his life your father feared him." 

NOTE — The Indian Story Teller had a very vivid 
imagination. As the fancy was given free rein, 
nothing seemed too improbable for her to tell, 
while her listeners never questioned the veracity. 



95 



96 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



"Did father ever go West ?" 
"He did." 

"Did lie see the enemy?" 

"He never came back to tell. I warn you not 
to go that way. The path is set with snares." 

The boy made no reply to this warning. But 
the more he thought about it, the more anxious 
he was to know what this danger was. 

"I will go and see if I can find father," he 
said to himself one Day as his grandmother 
sat in the lodge doorway. 

He knew he was doing wrong but thought 
what his grandmother had said was only an old 
woman's whim. So after going towards the 
East until out of his grandmother's sight, he 
changed his course and went into the forbidden 
land. 

The Boy Scout kept a sharp lookout as he 
walked noiselessly through the strange forest. 
Plenty of game crossed his path, but he gave 
no heed to it. He saw many strange sights, but 
he paid no attention to these. He had some- 
thing else in his mind. 

At last he came to the most beautiful sheet 
of water he had ever seen. Birds of bright 
plumage flew up from the reeds. Sleek Deer 
stood ankle deep in its cool flood. Overhead an 
Eagle circled lazily in the air. But he had no 
time to admire all these before a voice said : 

"Ah-ha, my fine fellow, I am glad to see 
you!" 



THE BOY SCOUT 



9? 



He looked all about him but could see no 
one. Even the animals did not seem to no- 
tice him. 

"Who are you?" demanded the Boy Scout, 
trying to be brave. 

"I am the one your grandmother warned you 
of. You thought you were wiser than she." 

"I wonder what I had better say," thought 
the boy, wishing now he had obeyed his grand- 
mother. 

"I know what you are thinking!" declared 
the voice. "To punish you for disobeying your 
grandmother I am going to send a gale to tear 
down her cabin." 

"We need the wood," replied the boy. "Then 
I shall not have to go far to gather it." 

"Then run home so you will be on hand to 
help!" ordered the voice. "My imps are 
anxious to begin their work." 

The Boy Scout was frightened now. He ran 
home as fast as he could. As he came near his 
grandmother's cabin he heard a great noise. 
It sounded as if the wind and rain were doing 
much damage. 

His grandmother was running wildly to and 
fro, wringing her hands and moaning: 

"You have disobeyed me. We shall be de- 
stroyed by the gale." 

The boy only laughed. 

"I saw a Wolf on the way and he gave me 
a charm. It will change the cabin into a rock." 



98 



INDIAN STOEY HOUR 



It did so. The rock, of course, was un- 
harmed. The ground was strewn with wood. 

When the gale had spent its fury he changed 
the rock back to the cabin, saying: 

"See, grandmother, we have plenty of wood 
to burn." 

"Don't go West again, my grandson. Next 
time he will kill us." 

The boy made no answer. But he had fared 
so well this time, he deceived his grandmother 
again. He sought once more the mysterious 
enemy. 

Again he came to the shore of the lake. But 
he found that its beauty was gone. He heard 
the voice and this time he knew it was a man 
speaking. It said: 

"Beware! You cannot defeat me again. 
This time I will send a tempest of arrows and 
spears upon your home. How would you like 
that?" 

"I would like the spears very much. And 

the arrows in my quiver are low." 

This time the voice chuckled and said: 
"If I were you I would go home before 

the storm." 

So the boy went home. He reached there at 
the same time the storm did. His grandmother 
was wild with fear and grief. 

"You wicked boy. Our home will be ruined 
by a storm of spears and we shall be killed." 



THE BOY SCOUT 



99 



"See me change the cabin into a rock. We 
can laugh at the storm !" 

No sooner said than it was done. The spears 
and arrows rattled against the big stone with- 
out as much as giving it a scar ! 

When the storm was over he found the 
ground was covered with spear points, but there 
were no handles. 

"Never mind. I will get poles and fit the 
spears to them." 

But when he had found the poles the spears 
were missing. 

"They were ice and have melted/' said his 
grandmother. 

"The old fellow thinks he has defeated me !" 
shouted the angry boy. "I will show him T 
am not to be trifled withw" 

"Do not go back again," implored his grand- 
mother. "He killed your grandfather. He 
killed your father. Now he will kill you and 
me." 

"I am not afraid of him," replied the boy, 
boastfully. "See, I carry my stone charm 
with me." 

So the third time the Boy Scout started in 
pursuit of his enemy. He knew this would be 
the last time if he did not kill his enemy. 

Once more he came to the shore of the water. 
He was more watchful than before. He heard 
the voice, as he had expected. He discovered 



100 



INDIAN STOEY HOUR 



a man's head out in the middle of the lake. 
It had a horrid face on every side! 

"Ha-ha, Uncle!" he cried. "I have you 
now. How would you like to have me send a 
great drought upon your home?" 

"That you cannot do," replied the mam 

"Go home and see!" retorted the boy. 

Then he threw the stone into the water. As 
it flew through the air it grew in size and hissed 
forth great heat. 

When it struck the lake, the water began to 
boil. Great clouds of steam rolled over it. 

When the fog had cleared away the water 
was all gone. All the creatures in the pond 
were dead except one big Frog. The man or 
monster had changed himself into a Frog. 

The boy then killed the Frog. Then he 
went home to his grandmother with the good 
news that they had no more to fear from their 
enemy. 



The Wind King 



Eoremac, the fisherman, built his wigwam 
near the water's edge, where there was good 
fishing. Often he went out in his canoe and 
speared the fish. Sometimes he caught them in 
nets. 

But when Fall came, the weather grew very 
windy. A great gale arose. The waves 
washed far up on the shore. The wind blew 
harder and harder each Day, until Noremac 
could no longer set his nets for the fish. He 
could not go out in his canoe, for the wind blew 
him against the rocks. At last he became very 
angry. 

"It is Wau-Chau-Sack, the great White 
Eagle, who is doing all this mischief. I will 
go to him and ask him not to move his great 
wings so fast. Then the water will be calm 
and Eoremac can catch fish." 

He started ISTorthward to the home of Wau- 
Chau-Sack, the Wind King. 

After many weeks he came to the great rock 
where Wau-Chau-Sack sat. His broad wings 
were spread out like two big clouds. When 
he moved them the wind howled and the waves 
of the sea dashed against the rocks. Trees were 
uprooted. Animals hid in their holes to wait 
until the tempest was over. 



101 



102 



INDIAN STOBY HOUK 



Wau-Chau-Sack was a big white Eagle, much 
taller than a hill. He saw Noremac and spread 
his wings with greater force than before. The 
wind was so strong Noremac had hard work to 
get up where Wau-Chau-Sack was sitting. 

"Why do you move your wings so fast?" 
he asked boldly. "Do you not know that you 
do much mischief?" 

Wau-Chau-Sack laughed and said: 

"I do not care how much mischief I do. It 
is great sport for me. I sit here on this rock 
and watch the waves play with your canoes 
down below. I see the mighty trees bend be- 
fore my power. I am strong and mighty." 

Wau-Chau-Sack laughed again. 

"But the wind raises the waves so I cannot 
fish," persisted Noremac. 

"I do not care if the wind blows so that you 
cannot use your net or paddle your canoe. I 
shall sweep my wings and scream as I have 
done long before men went upon the water. 
Why should I care that you cannot fish ?" 

Noremac was very angry now. 

"If you do not stop this gale I shall tie your 
wings so that you can never spread them 
again." 

"You only fool yourself when you talk like 
that. How could you, only a weak Red Man, 
think to destroy one so mighty as I ? Go back 
to your wigwam and be content." 



THE WIND KING 



103 



And with these words the wind roared louder 
than ever. 

Perhaps Noremac would have turned back 
had not Wau-Chau-Sack called him a "weak 
Red Man." He did not intend to leave now 
without proving that he was not so weak as it 
might seem. 

He ran at the Eagle and threw him upon his 
back. The Eagle was not expecting this. ~No- 
remac wondered at his own strength. The 
Eagle could not help himself now. Although 
he was a mighty bird, he was helpless when 
on his back. Koremac tied his wings with 
withes of witch-wood. He dragged him from 
his seat and left him between two large cliffs. 

"I will not be troubled by the wind any 
more. I shall catch many fish and be happy," 
he said to himself. 

So he was happy for a time. There was no 
wind. The water was calm. He spread his 
net and caught many fish. 

But he did not- think when he tied the Eagle's 
wings that we really do need some wind. He 
did not think that it brought fresh air and 
rain to fill the seas and make the soil rich for 
planting. He only knew that he could catch 
fish whenever he chose. 

So it was no wonder that Noremac could not 
understand the change that took place. The 
water became foul. A thick green scum spread 



104 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



over it. The air became dense, for there was 
no wind to bring fresh breezes. It did not 
rain, so no fresh water was brought to the 
stagnant stream. 

Without these things the fish could not live. 
Many died and floated on the surface. He could 
not paddle his canoe through the thick green 
scum to catch the others. 

What could be done? Fish was his food 
and he must have it. 

"I will go once more to the home of the great 
White Eagle/' he said. 

Again he started on his long journey to the 
North. He found Wau-Chau-Sack where he 
had left him. He was trying to move his big 
wings. But try as he would, he could not free 
himself. 

Xoremac dragged the White Eagle to the 
rock where first he had found him. After some 
time he loosened one of his wings. The other 
he left tied. 

Wau-Chau-Sack moved his great wing to and 
fro. Xoremac could see the trees sway back 
and forth. Yes, the wind blew once more. 

Noremac went back to his fishing-place and 
found that the thick scum was gone. Every- 
thing was well now. With only one free wing 
Wau-Chau-Sack could not do much mischief. 
He could do much good. ISToremac had learned 
that without wind all things would perish. 



THE GREAT STONE FACE 



115 



longer is the shade it throws over the valley. 
While Pemi-ge-was^set rested in peace, the Mo- 
hawks hurled themselves upon his people with 
great fury. 

Pemi-ge-was-set called his brave warriors to- 
gether. From early dawn to set of Sun they 
fought hand-to-hand the fiery Mohawks. Not 
till the Moon looked down in red was the battle 
over. 

It had fared ill with the Mohawks on that 
day. The Stars saw the few who had escaped 
the wrath of Pemi-ge-was-set. They were skulk- 
ing like Wolves through the dark woods. 

Other chieftains might have left them to go 
in peace. That was not the way of Pemi^ge-was- 
set. The memory of wrongs done him and his 
people was too> fresh in his mind. Too often 
had the Mohawks broken their faith to be 
trusted now. 

So Pemi-ge-wasHset called about him his 
shattered band. He gave the enemy pursuit. 

If fierce in battle the Mohawks proved wily 
in retreat. By Day and by Night, by bright 
sunlight and pale moonlight, Pemi-ge-was-set 
pursued his enemies. Now they sealed moun- 
tains. Now they threaded dark valleys. Now 
they crossed broad streams. The trail was 
marked off by the embers of forsaken campfires. 
So Pemi-ge-wasHset and his warriors hung on 
the heels of the fleeing Mohawks. 



116 



INDIAN STOEY HOUE 



The chase did not end until the shining 
shores of the Horicon were reached. Here Pemi- 
ge-was-set halted for the first time. Beyond this 
water was the home of the Mohawks. Behind 
him was the great wilderness. The tired war- 
riors laid down to rest. It would be time 
enough on the next Day to act. 

While this brave band slept, a war-party of 
the Mohawks surprised Pemi-ge-was-set. They 
took him and his comrades prisoners of war. 

The [Mohawks rejoiced when the young chief 
was brought into their midst. Men, women 
and children danced with frantic glee at sight 
of so famous a warrior-chief. His trial was set 
for an early Day. 

Among those who saw Pemi-ge-was-set in 
his suffering was Minerwa, the chief's beautiful 
daughter. She pitied him. She knew he was 
as brave as he was handsome, 

Pemi-ge-was-set had already seen her. He 
admired her. On the second Day she managed 
to tell him of her friendship. She offered to 
help him escape. He would not accept any plan 
that did not include his warriors. She was 
very eager to save him. So she agreed to free 
his warriors, too. 

The Xight before the Day set for his trial 
came. The Mohawk Princess visited the prison 
house of Pemi-ge-was-set. She set him free. 



THE GEEAT STONE FACE 



117 



Then she went to the prison house of the war- 
riors and freed them. 

Minerwa knew her own life would have to 
pay for the loss of the captives. So she prom- 
ised to meet Pemi-ge-was-set at a certain place 
on the third Night following. She would go 
with him to his people. There she would wed 
him. 

The Mohawks 1 slept. Pemi-ge-was-set and 
his men stole away in silence. At daybreak 
they discovered that their captives had escaped. 

The uproar among the Mohawks was fright- 
ful, but they sought them in vain. 

The chief found that his daughter was gone. 
His anger turned to sorrow. She was the light 
of his heart. He knew then or thought he knew, 
how Pemi-ge-was-set had escaped. 

Before the Sun had set Minerwa's canoe was 
found overturned. She had gone for a row 
upon the water. The Mohawk chief's grief was 
great 

Of course the canoe was really upturned by 
the princess on purpose. They searched for her 
body. But she was on her way to meet Pemi- 
ge-was-set. 

The lovers met at the appointed place. The 
journey to his people was made in safety. Pemi- 
ge-was-set and the princess were wed with great 
ceremony. They lived together very happily 
for several years. 



118 



INDIAN STOKY HOUE 



The Mohawks troubled Pemi-ge-was-set no 
more. So lie and his people lived in peace. 
Then the Hnrons gave battle to them. They 
were another war-like tribe. 

The Hurons were defeated and driven away. 
But Pemi-ge-was-set was sorely wounded. 

Among the Hurons was a warrior who saw 
the Mohawk princess. He went to her 
father and told him where she was. 

The Mohawk chieftain was now an old man 
and sick. He longed to see his daughter again. 
So he sent one of her brothers to get her to come 
and see him. Pemi-ge-was-set might come with 
her, if he wished. He promised no harm should 
be doue him. 

So the son of the Mohawk chief came to the 
mountain vale. He saw and talked with the 
Princess Pemi-ge-was-set. She had' longed to 
see her father. ]STow she asked her husband if 
they could go. 

He shook his head sadly. 

"I cannot walk so far," he said. "But you 
may go. I will wait for your return." 

At first she would not consent. But he said 
he would watch' from the peak of a high moun- 
tain for her until she came back. So she made 
ready for her long journey. 

"Minerwa will talk with Pemi-ge-was-set by 
smoke sign from the valley. The smoke shall 



THE GREAT STONE FACE 



119 



be tongue to speak from mountain top. Min- 
erwa not stay many Moons." 

So they parted like lovers, for their hearts 
had not grown old. He had some of his stout- 
est warriors carry him to the brow of a ledge on 
a high mountain. There he began his lonely 
vigil. 

He saw her smoke signals from the valley. 
He answered them. He saw the smoke wreaths 
rise from her fire on the distant mountain peak. 
He replied with tongues of smoke. This was a 
beautiful custom of the Ked Men. 

Then there came Days without these smoke 
signals. But he was certain she would come as 
soon as might be. 

But the Days ran into weeks. The weeks 
ran into months. Still there was no sign from 
Minerwa. 

The chief ate of the food that was brought 
him. But he refused to be carried back to the 
valley of his people. 

"Pemi-ge-was-set will come when he reads 
the smoke talk of Minerwa," he replied firmly. 

Minerwa had found her father and talked 
with him. He died in her arms contented. 

When the time came Minerwa and her 
brother started on their return. But they were 
waylaid by a former suitor for Minerwa. Both 
were slain. 



120 



INDIAN" STOEY HOUE 



Pemi-ge-was-set did not know this. He still 
believed that his beautiful wife would return. 
Pemi-ge-was-set looked steadily into the West 
for her signal. 

His comrades begged him to stay no longer. 
But he would not leave. He stayed through 
summer's heat. He waited through winter's 
snows. -So year after year he kept his lonely 
vigil. 

Out of pity, at last, the Great Spirit cast 
him into a deep sleep. From this sleep he 
awoke in the arms of his beloved wife. 

The Great Spirit caused a great stone image 
of Pemi-ge-was-set to be placed on the side of 
the cliff. There it stands today. It keeps alive 
the story of Pemi-ge-was-set' s love and devotion 
to his wife. 

At the foot of the mountain the Great Spirit 
placed a mirror. In it the gray Stone Pace can 
see his own image. Here, at midnight, the 
Moon loves to linger and paint queer pictures. 
At mid^day the Sun changes the silver into gold. 
The good old face looks into it and smiles 
softly in memory of other days. 



Wasawa's Snow-Shoes 

This story has an old, old beginning. Two 
braves loved the s l ame Maid. She was beauti- 
ful. Both of them were brave. One was named 
Wasawa. One was named O'akana. Wasawa 
was like the Elm, tall, slender, graceful. O'ak- 
ana was like the Oak, short, sturdy, defiant. 
So you see they were a stalwart pair. 

The Maid was known as Laughing Eyes. 
She was the light of her father's lodge. Her 
father was a great chief. For some reason he 
preferred O'akana for a son-in-law. The Maid 
with the Laughing Eyes preferred Wasawa. 
So you see it was a puzzle for the Maid. If she 
should wed Wasawa it would displease her stern 
father. If she should wed Oakana, she was 
very certain she would never be happy. 

To settle the question the old chief proposed 
the lovers should take a long journey. He had 
a message to send to a chief in the far North. 

Each of these lovers were to take a copy of 
this message to the chief of the North Country. 
The one who came back first with an answer 
should have his consent to marry his daughter. 

Mind you, this was in the middle of Winter. 
The snow lay deep in the woods and 



121 



122 



INDIAN STORY HOUB 



upon the plains. The weather was biting 
cold. So long was the journey it would take 
them, without accident, a full round Moon (a 
Month) to go and come! Should the weather 
be stormy, it might take them much longer. 

There was not even a marked tree to guide 
them on their way.. It was all the distance 
through a pathless wilderness. So you see it 
was a long, hard trip to make. 

The lovers were willing to make the trial. 
The Maid with the Laughing Eyes was not. 
While Wasawa was fleet of foot, she feared 
Oakana might prove more than a match for 
Wasawa on such a hard journey. 

What if Oakana should win ? She cried that 
Night, when Wasawa told her. When an In- 
dian maid cries you may know her heart is 
breaking. 

Wasawa did his best to console her. He told 
her of his fleetness. He told her of his strength. 
And he knew his love would make him stronger 
than his rival. 

Oakana came merely to tell her to be in readi- 
ness for the wedding when he got back. You 
see he was certain he should win. So was the 
chief. So were many of the warriors of the 
tribe, though not one failed to wish Wasawa 
success. 



wasawa's snow-shoes 



123 



Three days were given the rivals in which to 
get ready. At sunrise, on the morning of the 
fourth Day, they were expected to start. 

The Maid with the Laughing Eyes slept but 
little that Mght. When she did sleep she had 
a strange dream. This dream came to her three 
times. The last time she awoke unable to sleep 
any more. 

In her dreams she saw some Ducks walking 
on the snow! Nothing more. But the third 
time she saw that they were, in some strange 
way, held upon the top of the snow. So they 
walked about easily. Other creatures siank into 
the fluffy mass, and floundered about in great 
distress. 

The next Morning she scattered some bits of 
meat and seeds for the wild birds to feed upon. 
She had done this many times. A pair of Wild 
Ducks had often come with the birds. They 
came this Morning. She had fed them so many 
times they had become very tame. Sb she had 
no trouble in catching one now. After patting 
him on the neck, she threw him far out over the 
snow. To her joy he rose on the snow and 
walked back to her, as if he had enjoyed the 
sport. She saw it was his web feet that held 
him up, while the birds did not have such feet 
and sank into the snow. 



124 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



Her dream had. come true ! And she was wise 
beyond her years. Why couldn't Wasawa have 
something to put upon his feet to hold him up ? 
If he could walk upon the snow like the Duck, 
surely he could get hack before Oakana! The 
thought made her happy. 

She would make something to help Wasawa 
win that long, bitter race. 

Just how to do this taxed her woman's wit. 
But where there is a purpose there is a way to 
win. She knew whatever she made must be 
light. It must be strong. 

She found some strips of dry ash-wood, the 
lightest she could find. She knew they were 
strong, for she had made bows for her father 
out of such strips. 

Then she found some Deer thongs. These 
she wove across the space between the frames, 
until she had a good firm bottom. She next 
fixed some thongs so they would hold the strange 
shape upon Wasawa's foot. 

The Maid did not show the result of her 
handiwork to Wasawa that Night. She wanted 
to make the other first. 

It was easier to make the second than it had 
been to make the first. She improved in her 
work, too. She made some improvements in 
the one she had done first. Her work was> com- 
pleted before Night. 



wasawa's snow-shoes 



125 



In this way a woman made the first pair of 
snow-shoes ever known. 

Wasawa, when he saw them, shook his head. 
H l e could not realize the benefit they would be 
to him. H|e promised to give them a fair trial. 

"Do this and I am certain you will win," she 
s'aid. 

Then she wrapped them in a piece of deer- 
skin, and made him promise not to let Oakana 
see theim He was not to put them on until 
Oakana was out of his sight. 

Wasawa promised all this. S<o they parted, 
each hopeful. 

The Morning when the rivals were to start 
bore signs of a coming storm. But that did 
not stop them. Both were determined to win. 

It was past mid-day before Wasawa stopped 
to put on his strange web moccasins. He had 
allowed Oakana to get out of his sight. With 
fear and wonder he fastened the strange things 
to his feet. 

The first step he took he plunged headlong 
into the snow ! He was angry when he stumbled 
to his feet. 

He could never walk on such things ! 

He tried again. This time with a little bet- 
ter success. He actually went three or four 
steps before he fell. 

He tried again, more carefully this time. He 
walked easier. He walked farther. This time, 
when he stopped, he saved himself from falling. 



126 



INDIAN STOEY HOUE 



He now found that the snow-shoes did keep 
him np. He soon found he could walk easily on 
them. 

He now began to think that a woman's wit 
and love would help him win the race. 

That Kight a fearful ;storm arose!. The 
storm raged for three Days. But the snow- 
shoes enabled Wasawa to keep on. To his de- 
light he could walk on the snow and never tire. 

Wasawa knew he was going farther each Day 
than he could go without the snow-shoes. He 
saw nothing of Oakana. 

It was very cold after the storm had cleared 
away. But Wasawa kept moving. In this way 
he did not suffer from the cold. At times, 
where it was clear moving, he fairly flew over 
the light snow ! What sport it was ! It was the 
most delightful experience he had ever known. 

The few animals he saw skurried away, as if 
frightened at sight of him. 

"I can outrun you all!" he shouted in high 
glee. 

A lone Crow flew over his head. The Crow 
gave a loud "caw," and then flew in another di- 
rection. 

"I can out-fly you!" shouted Wasawa. "I 
have wings on my feet !" 

It was a merry race Wasawa was running. 

^Near the close of a beautiful winter Day 
Wasawa reached the end of his long journey. 



wasawa's snow-shoes 



127 



He found the Chief of the North Country 
sitting in his lodge door. He was smoking. He 
did not show any surprise at sight of Wasawa. 
This was an Indian's way. 

He was surprised at something else. He was 
surprised when he saw what Wasawa had on 
his feet. I think he saw the snow-shoes before 
he did Wasawa. 

A crowd of wondering spectators gathered 
about Wasawa. All pointed to the strange 
shapes upon his feet. They asked among them- 
selves : 

"What strange creature is this?" 
Wasawa gave the chief his wampum. 
But the chief was more interested in the 
snow-shoes. 

Wasawa had to tell him how they had been 
made for him. He walked on them to show 
how they carried him upon the top of the snow. 

Some, clapped their hands, and cried : 

"What strange bird is this V 

Wasawa was the hero of that Day. 

At last the Chief gave Wasawa his reply. 
With this Wasawa began his homeward journey. 

0 ! akana had not been seen. 

In great joy Wasawa at last came in sight 
of his home. 

I cannot describe the surprise that greeted 
him here. No one would believe he had really 
been to the Northland and come back. 



128 



INDIAN STORY HOUR 



When Wasawa gave his Chief the bit of birch 
bark he had brought from the Chief of the 
North, the aged S achem shook his head. 

He read the message in pictures Wasawa had 
brought He could not deny this. Hb shook 
his head. He looked at Wasawa's web-foot 
moccasins. He smiled. 

Wasawa knew then it was well. 

No one had heard from Oakana. 

Wasawa had won the race. 

The Maid with the Laughing Eyes would be 
his bride. The old Chief agreed to this. He 
would be proud of such a son-in-law. 

Wasawa had to show how he could walk on 
the snow. These f dats delighted one and all. 

Every warrior wanted a pair. The Maid 
with the Laughing Eyes showed the squaws how 
to make them. Busy fingers began work at 
once. Before another Snn had set every warrior 
in the village had a pair of bran-new snow- 
shoes ! 

What merry times followed. But the mer- 
riest of them all was the wedding of Wasawa 
and Laughing Eyes. Every one was happy. 
But no one was as happy as the Bride. 

All this happened before Oakana returned. 
You may judge of his disappointment. He 
could not help himself. 

And this is the story of the first snow-shoes 
ever made. 



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